UK's ICO event on targeted ads opens floor to the adtech industry: Anybody? No? Speak for 10 minutes. Hello?

The adtech industry was unable to muster even a single speaker to fill a 10-minute slot to discuss the security implications of programmatic advertising at a much-anticipated event yesterday. The talks were run by the Information Commissioner's Office at an undisclosed location in central London as part of efforts to dig into …

[Spacedinvader]

Not surprising really...

"undisclosed location" they didn't know where to go!

[JohnFen]

In fairness...

When you have no legitimate defense, shutting up is your best option.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: In fairness...

"When you have no legitimate defense, shutting up is your best option."

Hmmm. Has anybody mentioned that concept to any well known recently arrived soon to be departed politicians?

[John Brown (no body)]

Re: In fairness...

"When you have no legitimate defense, shutting up is your best option."

And, of course, it bodes well for future regulations. If adtech don't want to talk, then they won't have anything to add when the regulators start work.

[Doctor Syntax]

Not speaking speaks volumes.

[Flywheel]

North/South divide again

undisclosed location in central London

I know for fact that 90% of the bloody ambulance-chaser advertisers are in Manchester and Liverpool. Typical Southernist thinking again! Bah!

[Blockchain commentard]

Surely the ICO didn't target their request to the right advertisers then?

[jake]

Is it any wonder?

Do YOU like airing your dirty knickers in public?

[JohnFen]

Re: Is it any wonder?

I can neither confirm nor deny that I have that particular fetish.

[Chris G]

Interesting

That they couldn't even cobble together some sort of BS just to keep the ICO off their backs for a bit longer.

If I was the ICO, after such an obvious demonstration that there is little or no security for personal data, I would be after them like a Jack Russell on a rat .

It seems likely that other than the fact that the data is valuable and they don't want to give it away, they are unable to show anything concrete in terms of protecting personal info within the meaning of GDPR.

[Aqua Marina]

No surprise!

As I was told by my former PLC Chief Operations Officer on the day I walked out, “Data security [of our customers] offers no shareholder value.”

[silks]

Re: No surprise!

Yep, until they have a data breach and go bust!

[Aqua Marina]

Re: No surprise!

They had a data breach 2 years later. They brushed it under the carpet, and today their share price is 4x what it was at the time. The breach happenned before GDPR, otherwise I would have reported it myself, along with a copy of the letter of resignation I handed over at the time.

[dnicholas]

I would post my opinion on this piece but Google already knows