ATS London Highlights; Google vs DOJ Trial Update; Australia Plans Age Restriction for Social Media

by Aimee Newell Tarín on 12th Sep 2024 in News

Today’s news: ATS London Highlights; Google vs DOJ Trial Update; Australia Plans Age Restriction for Social Media

Yesterday, the ad tech community gathered for our ATS London event. From industry veterans to first-time goers, we came together to hear fresh takes on the latest hot topics and delve into the best ways to tackle our biggest challenges. The day was kicked off with a fireside chat between ExchangeWire CSO Ciarán O’Kane and Jeff Green, founder and CEO of The Trade Desk. They discussed how The Trade Desk has been able to grow its success to such a large scale, and moved on to all things Google-related. Panels throughout the day delved into retail media, unleashing CTV’s full potential, how industry members can navigate the current curation revolution, as well as strategies for the future of publishing and how publishers can get back into the driver’s seat. Google’s latest ongoing courtroom battle with the DOJ certainly made a splash in the day’s conversation.

On that note, how is the trial going? As the trial progressed, day two saw Google’s unfair auction dynamics take centre stage. Like during the first day, much of the day was spent on establishing the market. Witnesses on day two included Amazon Web Services’ Stephanie Layser (publisher), Goodway Group’s Jay Friedman (agency/marketing services buy-side), as well as Eisar Lipkovitz, Google’s former VP of Engineering, Display Ads. Layser commented that “it’s impossible to negotiate with Google.” Lipkovitz stated the clear conflict of interest of Google owning the ad server, exchange, and largest ad network, comparing it to “Goldman owning the stock exchange”.

Meanwhile in Australia, the government plans to introduce a minimum age restriction for social media use. The move surges as a result of concerns over the dangers of excessive screen use by young people in particular. The policy will set an age limit of between the ages 13 and 16. This week, the government will commence a trial to test a system for blocking off their access. Screen use is expected to be an issue of significant weight in the country’s election next year. The Liberal party (the current opposition) has stated it would introduce a social media use ban for under 16s within the first 100 days of being elected. Some comment that the move to ban social media for children may trigger a negative reaction from many voters.