Time for big companies to take responsibility

Today, fellow Members of the European Parliament from Renew, Greens, the Left and S&D, together with Paul Tang, put pressure on the 100 largest European advertisers to rethink their marketing strategies. In the letter, they make clear that in Europe alone; corporations spent €69.4 billion on digital advertising in 2020. This keeps a toxic system in place, and prevents real change. That is why the MEPs call on them to switch from tracking ads to less harmful and still, even more effective, alternatives, that are already available.

The two companies are asked two simple questions:

• Why do you insist on using this system?
• Are you open to a better alternative?

Change is evidently needed. This non-transparent and harmful system of tracking ads promotes polarisation and extreme messages to keep the attention of the user. And in addition works to the detriment of SME’s and press publishers, who are hit by a lack of necessary income. Tracking ads are a direct attack on the privacy of internet users. Not even mentioning the latest Facebook files, a company that is for 98% of its income depending on advertising. The co-signers of the letter want a fair advertising system that benefits all publishers and SME’s, and not just Google, Facebook and Amazon.

It’s only right!