2013 Year in Review and Look Forward
As many take the next two weeks to unplug and recharge their batteries, I wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on what has been a tremendous year for the NAI.
First and foremost, I want to thank all of the NAI members and the staff for the hard work and dedication that went into the past year. Your commitment to upholding the highest standards for online advertising is clear, and self-regulation is working today in large part because of the effort that you each put in to making it work. Our Annual Compliance report that we released early this year reflected that commitment, and I’m looking forward to seeing even more impressive results in the Compliance report that we will announce in January for this year.
As debates rage on around Do-Not-Track, it’s this adherence to the Code that fuels my passion for a self-regulatory program that combines high standards with robust enforcement and accountability for all stakeholders. We will no doubt see a continued focus on DNT in 2014, and the NAI Annual Compliance report serves as a shining example of what is possible when a privacy framework is built around responsible parties.
2013 was also a year of many firsts for the NAI. We had our first Member Summit, which was an overwhelming success. In addition to being sold out, our keynoter, FTC Commissioner Maureen Ohlhaussen, gave the NAI and its members high praise. Also this year, the NAI released its first Mobile Code, and I predict we’ll be seeing some new faces at our 2014 Member Summit as our mobile membership grows.
As we enter another year, we’ll be faced with new technologies, policies and business models, and it is the NAI’s goal to help our members and the industry adapt to these changes and move forward in a privacy-centric way. As alternatives to HTTP cookies arise and innovation continues to push technology across devices and screens, the NAI will be there – promoting the value of responsible parties like you and making sure that stakeholders understand the critical role third parties play in the continued evolution of the ecosystem.
There is much to look forward to in 2014. Cheers!