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Editor: Matt Paines

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Trade body focuses on EU threat

AIB, the European trade association of the digital and interactive marketing industry says it is now focusing its efforts, and the majority of its resources, on addressing the regulatory challenges currently facing the online advertising industry.

At a recent event hosted by the pan-regional trade body in Brussels, the issue of regulation, specifically with regards to online privacy and data collection, was a recurring theme.

It reared its head in almost every panel session throughout the day and the AIB believes that it must focus on promoting self-regulation in order to prevent intervention from European lawmakers.

IAB President Alain Heureux is reported as saying that self-regulation is the way forward as you cannot regulate an industry that is growing and moving so quickly through legislation as it takes years to pass new laws.

Over the past two years, the European Commission has paid increased attention to the online advertising space, perhaps instigated by its anti-trust investigation into Google's acquisition of DoubleClick in 2007.

Since that acquisition was announced, the Commission has held a number of events designed to further familiarise itself with the industry, and has even launched legal proceedings  against the U.K. government for failing to implement European law regarding customer trials of behavioral targeting technology from Phorm.

Although Heureux recognises the privacy issue is currently high on the Commission's list, he believes it is essential for bodies such as the IAB Europe to engage with and educate lawmakers to ensure continued industry growth.

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