IAB Europe Press Release: IAB Europe endorses Code of Practice on Disinformation
Brussels, 26 September 2018 – The full version Code of Practice on Disinformation, drawn up in a process in which IAB Europe participated alongside other stakeholders from online advertising and platforms sectors[1], was unveiled today. European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel (Digital Economy and Society) welcomed this milestone as a step in the right direction, recognising it as the first tangible outcome of the Communication which the Commission adopted in April[2].
“Online disinformation is a major social challenge that has exposed the fragility of our democratic institutions,” said Townsend Feehan, IAB Europe CEO. “The exercise of drawing up this Code has confronted everyone involved with the sheer, confounding complexity of the problem. It has shown up the critical importance of enlisting the broadest possible scope of well-meaning actors if we are to have any hope of tackling it, and the limits to what we will be able to achieve if we do not”, warned Feehan.
Cross-industry investment in brand safety and further development of tools with the help of relevant third-party partners can result in substantially diminishing online disinformation. “We are glad to reaffirm our long-standing commitment to brand safety. Giving brands confidence that they are buying authentic inventory and placing ads in a safe environment helps safeguarding sustainability of the digital advertising business model, which at its core supports rich range of information sources for citizens, including quality content produced”, said Feehan.
IAB Europe also encourages continued EU-level investment in research to better understand the scope and nature of online disinformation, and in consumer education, notably in the area of media literacy, to increase people’s ability critically to assess information they receive.
We are looking forward to evangelising our industry about the Code, and to continued collaboration across the digital ecosystem on this major challenge.
Contact
Greg Mroczkowski, Public Policy Manager at IAB Europe (mroczkowski@iabeurope.eu, +32 4830 58 203)
About IAB Europe
IAB Europe is the leading European-level industry association for the digital advertising ecosystem. Its mission is to promote the development of this innovative sector and ensure its sustainability by shaping the regulatory environment, demonstrating the value digital advertising brings to Europe’s economy, to consumers and to the market, and developing and facilitating the uptake of harmonised business practices that take account of changing user expectations and enable digital brand advertising to scale in Europe.
[1] Working Group comprises of the following members: AIM, EACA, EASA, EDiMA, Facebook, Google, IAB Europe, Mozilla, Twitter, WFA.
[2] Communication ‘Tackling online disinformation: a European approach’; https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/communication-tackling-online-disinformation-european-approach.
