European Commission requests information about Google and Meta’s “secret advertising agreement targeting teenagers” – GIGAZINE

The European Commission’s regulator has asked for more information about a “secret advertising agreement between Google and Meta to circumvent Google’s guidelines and target teenagers,” the financial newspaper Financial said. The Times reported.

Brussels probes Google and Meta secret ads deal to target teens
https://www.ft.com/content/fac060e0-4778-4ea6-a040-12bb7bf75806

Brussels seeks more information on secret Google-Meta ads deal targeting teens, FT reports | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/technology/brussels-probes-google-meta-secret-ads-deal-targeting-teens-ft-reports-2024-12-10/

EU digs further into Google and Meta’s secret ad campaign targeting minors
https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/eu-digs-further-into-google-and-metas-secret-ad-campaign-targeting-minors-140047175.html

Google defines “Policy on advertising protection measures for children” prohibits the delivery of targeted advertisements to children on Google services, including YouTube. However, in August 2024, the Financial Times revealed that Google and Meta had entered into a secret agreement to circumvent policies regarding the online treatment of minors and serve targeted Instagram ads to teens on YouTube. reported.

Report that Google and Meta had entered into a secret advertising agreement targeting teenagers – GIGAZINE

An internal document obtained by the Financial Times states that the company experimented with showing targeted ads on Instagram to teenagers by targeting users classified as “unknown” in Google’s user demographics. It was written that. Google employees explained to Meta that many users labeled as “unknown” are under the age of 18, so they can bypass the guidelines and serve targeted ads to teens.

Spark Foundry, an American subsidiary of Publicis, a major French advertising agency, conducted a targeted advertising pilot program in Canada in April 2024 using this mechanism. Following this success, the campaign was expanded to the United States in May. In addition to plans for global expansion, there were also plans to advertise not only on Instagram but also on other Meta apps, including Facebook, but the project was canceled following a report in the Financial Times.

The Financial Times has newly reported that in October, the European Commission ordered Google’s parent company Alphabet’s lawyers to review data, presentation materials, internal chats and emails related to a series of advertising campaigns targeting minors. It was reported that a verification was ordered. The data was reportedly presented to European Commission officials and could lead to a formal investigation by the regulator.

After a series of reports, Google held a virtual briefing for advertising staff, asking them to reconfirm company policies and understand their responsibilities. In a statement to the Financial Times, Google said: “Our safeguards to protect teens, such as banning personalized ads, are industry-leading and remain in place. We conduct up-to-date in-house training to ensure that our customers are always aware of our company’s policies and technical protections.”