Statement on the “Banning Surveillance Advertising Act”
Bill would harm small businesses and consumers and strengthen Big Tech
WASHINGTON, DC – Statement by NAI President & CEO Leigh Freund on the Banning Surveillance Advertising Act introduced by U.S. Representatives Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ):
“While I understand the rhetorical appeal of banning so-called ‘surveillance advertising,’ the fact is that this proposal will not solve legitimate problems of disinformation, discrimination, voter suppression or privacy abuses that result from businesses that directly collect and misuse consumer data.
The bill will harm businesses that rely on tailored advertising to reach local or niche audiences interested in their products, particularly small businesses. It also will undermine the ability of digital content publishers to provide consumers with free and low-cost content. Ultimately, it will reduce competition in the digital advertising ecosystem, strengthening the market position of the Big Tech companies the bill is supposed to target.
A better approach is to enact comprehensive federal privacy legislation that provides for consistent, enforceable regulation with joint federal and state enforcement. The NAI supports a national privacy framework that protects consumers, bans certain uses of data, and allows for innovative uses of data for advertising and the social good.”
MEDIA CONTACT:
Nat Wood
nat@networkadvertising.org
410-507-7898
