Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone are working on a new digital marketing platform that emphasizes privacy by design. The platform uses TrustPid, which creates pseudo-anonymous tracking tokens. The goal is to compete with the major ad network operators, such as Google and Meta.
Vodafone (1) announced the initiative through a press release.
The four European telecom companies are launching a joint venture, where they each own a 25 percent stake. The joint venture is the result of a project launched by Vodafone to come up with a technological solution to the way online ads are currently served.
The basic premise of the advertising platform to be established is to ensure the privacy (2) of users. To serve personalized ads, tech companies use so-called cookies (3). These accurately track Web activities and collect this information to build comprehensive user profiles. Using this mountain of data -also called big data (4)- ad network providers can serve targeted advertising.
Instead of placing cookies on users' devices, the providers employ a technique that shares only "pseudo-anonymous digital tokens. By their own admission, it is impossible to reverse-engineer these. Moreover, these tokens are shared with advertisers only if users give explicit permission.
According to Tweakers.net (5), the technology in question is TrustPid, which was tested in Germany last summer. This system uses a user's phone number and IP address (6). Using this data, the system creates tracking tokens. According to the initiators, the technology complies with AVG legislation. They are confident that it will eventually replace tracking cookies.
"The platform is specifically designed to offer consumers a change in control, transparency and protection of their data, which is currently widely collected, distributed and stored by large, non-European players," Vodafone wrote in a press statement.
Users will soon have to give, refuse or revoke permission to place the tokens with a single click. This is done through the website, or through a central privacy portal. Because TrustPid works with 06 numbers, the privacy portal can only be accessed via the provider's mobile subscription.
The European Commission has given the green light (7) to the four European telecom companies to begin work on the joint venture. When the technology will be deployed commercially is unknown. It will be headquartered in Belgium.
https://www.vodafone.com/news/corporate-and-financial/deutsche-telekom-orange-telefonica-vodafone-form-ad-tech-joint-venture
https://www.vpngids.nl/privacy/
https://www.vpngids.nl/veilig-internet/surfen/cookies-beheren-verwijderen/
https://www.vpngids.nl/privacy/anoniem-browsen/big-data-en-privacy/
https://tweakers.net/nieuws/206610/vodafone-en-deutsche-telekom-starten-bedrijf-voor-targeted-ads-op-telefoonnummer.html
https://www.vpngids.nl/privacy/anoniem-browsen/wat-is-mijn-ip/
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/nl/ip_23_721
