Center for Digital Democracy

Think Jeff Bezos & Wapo. Politico: "Amazon's tax bill plunges after GOP tax cuts--ran a $1.2 billion tax bill last year, down from $9 billion the previous year, and even as its profits jumped by 45 percent to nearly $90 billion. That’s largely because of the generous new depreciation..."

Claude is a space to think | Anthropic Anthropic explains why Claude will remain ad-free—how advertising incentives conflict with building a genuinely helpful AI assistant users can trust.

How long will Anthropic keep promise? "history of ad-supported products suggests that ad incentives...expand over time...integrated into revenue targets and product development, blurring boundaries ...once more clear-cut. We’ve chosen not to introduce these..." www.anthropic.com/news/claude-...

AI, personalization and the future of shopping How AI is transforming ads and shopping experiences to help people discover and connect with businesses.

Commercial Surveillance marketing shaped online operations since start, now enables role Gen AI plays in disinformation. As AI by Platforms/Brands unleash real-time personalized media omnichannel, fake will become more commonplace. Digital media reform req'd. Background ex: bit.ly/3M4h09u

What The FTC’s Focus On Age Verification Means For Privacy | AdExchanger Efforts to police children's data online are running up against the limits of decades-old privacy laws, such as COPPA.

FTC @AFergusonFTC doesn't understand the kids' digital market. Age verification a distraction. You need to regulate the ever accelerating commercial surveillance marketing system. Real "privacy by design" eliminates the branding, selling, engagement, etc--now driven by Gen AI. bit.ly/4qR8ycH

"The Math Doesn't Work": Why 2026's $1T Ad Market Is Bad News for Storytellers Platforms need moments to monetize, not storytellers to succeed. 95.6% of creators fail. The math doesn't work. That's the intended outcome.

Relevant to Netflix/WBD; commercial surveillance 3.0; furthering reduction of content diversity, etc.
"The Math Doesn't Work": Why 2026's $1T Ad Market Is Bad News for Storytellers, by @aagave open.substack.com/pub/parqor/p...

Consumer Injuries and Benefits in the Data-Driven Economy The Workshop on Consumer Injuries and Benefits in the Data-Driven Economy will bring together economists, academics, and other experts to examine how the agency can better understand and measure co

FTC fiddles while U.S. consumer privacy protections further evaporate. Under @AFergusonFTC agency ignoring the gravest threats to privacy in decades--helping usher in Commercial Surveillance 3.0 www.ftc.gov/news-events/...

Tiktok settles social media addiction lawsuit ahead of trial Tiktok agreed to settle a social media addiction lawsuit on Tuesday, according to one of the plaintiff's lawyers.

Beware social media addiction/youth settlements as Gen AI commercial surveillance ops further transforms all platforms & experiences, incl. TikTok. Waiting to see details, but if it doesn't address agentic addiction/manipulation, misses what's going on. www.reuters.com/world/tiktok...

Commentary: Ads in ChatGPT open a new door for dangerous influence OpenAI says it will keep ads separate from answers, but this assurance rests on vague and easily reinterpreted commitments, say academics.

Warning signs flash as Gen AI delivers Commercial Surveillance 3.0 in U.S. and worldwide--
Commentary: Ads in ChatGPT open a new door for dangerous influence www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/c...

OpenAI Lines Up Advertisers, Reveals Key Details Ahead of Ads Launch OpenAI has started offering its new chatbot ads to dozens of advertisers, according to two people familiar with the matter. To start off, the company is charging on the basis of ad views as opposed to...

The Facebook early “Beacon” ads playbook comes to OpenAI as commercial surveillance marketing becomes core DNA of GenAI/agentic commerce.
www.theinformation.com/articles/ope...

Our approach to advertising and expanding access to ChatGPT OpenAI plans to test advertising in the U.S. for ChatGPT’s free and Go tiers to expand affordable access to AI worldwide, while protecting privacy, trust, and answer quality.

GenAI was always going to be about ads & the commercial surveillance. @OpenAI claims should be dismissed as digital "Trojan Horse." The most powerful brands & advertisers will be structuring GenAI platforms/search--much of that work has begun. US federal regulators failing public. bit.ly/4sSxVwn

Google's "Building Personal Intelligence" paper reflects decades long-promises for safety & privacy online--which has resulted in unprecedented commercial surveillance & many other harms. Its quest to mobilize its GenAI across the global financial & commerce system.
ai.google/static/docum...

A new era of agentic commerce is here | Google Cloud Blog A new era of agentic commerce is here

Google's further moves into agentic AI driven commerce & payments raise concerns over its power with our financial system, personal economic security, consumer protection and privacy. The Trump Adm cheerleads instead of requiring safeguards--hurting Americans and many more. Part 1. bit.ly/4bA5SLM

Consumer Injuries and Benefits in the Data-Driven Economy The Workshop on Consumer Injuries and Benefits in the Data-Driven Economy will bring together economists, academics, and other experts to examine how the agency can better understand and measure co

At the upcoming workshop, we can't imagine that @AFergusonFTC commission will ask for info about the various identity measures used to further surveillance pricing by retailers & others. Hint--look into a mirror.
bit.ly/3NGIz95

Consumer Injuries and Benefits in the Data-Driven Economy The Workshop on Consumer Injuries and Benefits in the Data-Driven Economy will bring together economists, academics, and other experts to examine how the agency can better understand and measure co

Here's another issue that FTC under @AFergusonFTC not likely to ask at hearing. How has one of the most popular forms of digital applications grown even stronger gathering US consumer data & engaging in commercial surveillance? 📷
bit.ly/3NGIz95

New tech and tools for retailers to succeed in an agentic shopping era An overview of Google’s new open standard for agentic commerce and AI tools to help retailers connect with shoppers and drive sales.

Rohit Chopra at CFPB was working 24/7 to protect US consumers' financial security, inc. privacy, from the AI & surveillance-driven agentic AI commerce. Khan #FTC was working on #antitrust impacts. Trump Adm., however, cheerleads/ignores. bit.ly/4aXHDqO

Consumer Injuries and Benefits in the Data-Driven Economy The Workshop on Consumer Injuries and Benefits in the Data-Driven Economy will bring together economists, academics, and other experts to examine how the agency can better understand and measure co

In what ways has the commercial surveillance pricing infrastructure expanded during the first year of the Trump Adm? Another issue we don't believe the FTC under @AFergusonFTC will raise. bit.ly/3NGIz95

FTC to Host Workshop on Consumer Injuries and Benefits in the Data-Driven Economy The Federal Trade Commission will host a workshop on February 26, 2026, to examine how the agency can better understand and measure consumer injuries and benefits that may result from the collectio

We doubt FTC can be candid with the American people about the explosive growth of data-driven commercial surveillance marketing & show what the real "costs and benefits of behavioral and contextual advertising" are to consumers & others.
www.ftc.gov/news-events/...

What We Risk When AI Systems Remember | TechPolicy.Press Gathoni Ireri explores how memory-enabled AI, reshapes personalization, privacy, and the ethics of knowing users deeply.

We agree @techpolicypress. This critically important article on Gen AI systems, memory & personalization by scholar Gathoni Ireri is required reading for policymakers & advocates. We should heed its warnings & take action now.
www.techpolicy.press/what-we-risk...

The merging of commercial surveillance data operations should be a focus of any review of Netflix & WBD--that's how streaming works today. Market power, privacy, diversity etc. For ex. adsales.wbd.com/products-sol...; advertising.netflix.com/en-us/articl...

OpenAI and PayPal Team Up to Power Instant Checkout and Agentic Commerce in ChatGPT - Oct 28, 2025 PayPal's tens of millions of merchants will soon be discoverable in ChatGPT, helping connect consumers to businesses that they love SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- PayPal, Inc....

State AI regulatory agenda should include safeguards for agentic payment systems, esp. tied to ecommerce & surveillance marketing. Require indep. assessment before these "we will make you pay" systems rack up greater consumer debt. Example: newsroom.paypal-corp.com/index.php?s=...

Amazon Ads and Netflix Partner to Offer Programmatic Buying on Netflix’s Ads Plan - About Netflix

Role of AI-enabled ads by Netflix, its data practices & partnerships (Amazon) must be part of antitrust reviews for planned #WBD takeover. For ex.
about.netflix.com/en/news/amaz...; advertising.netflix.com/en-us/target...

Gen AI fueled commercial surveillance marketing worldwide will be indication in 2026 that AI must be regulated for scope, impacts, privacy. Agentic payments, agentic adtech, agentic personalization reveals that much of AI's promise will be focused on helping brands, platforms, retailers, lenders.

Winning the 6G Race MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATETHE SECRETARY OF WARTHE SECRETARY OF COMMERCETHE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATIONTHE SECRETARY OF ENERGYTHE SECRETARY OF

Scrutiny required regarding Trump new EO on 6G spectrum, further enabling telecom giants (inc. Starlink) to gain even more control of the digital system (following spectrum giveways in budget bill). www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

Surveillance pricing has been "baked in" to the commercial surveillance marketing system, with retailers, grocers, airlines & many others using the same set of tools used by Google, Meta & other Gen AI+Big Data marketers.

Scoop: TikTok signs deal for sale of U.S. unit after yearslong saga The deal would end a yearslong saga to force TikTok's Chinese parent ByteDance to sell the company's U.S. operation.

The U.S. TikTok sale is a scam and sham. Your data won't be safe as global marketers use the platform; it furthers media consolidation with Oracle connection to Paramount/Skydance & MGX set of alliances & relationships. No real consumer/privacy, GenAI safeguards. www.axios.com/2025/12/18/t...

Tired of being ripped off? Here's one way we can all help stop the scams. Americans file complaints with 176 different government agencies, and most people don't know about them in the first place. A new proposal for Complaints.gov would fix this broken system: open.substack.com/pub/vanderbi...

Microsoft Copilot quietly shows up on LG TVs, and you can’t remove it LG TV owners are discovering Microsoft Copilot on their home screens following a software update. The AI assistant installs automatically and cannot be removed, highlighting how AI features are increa...

Smart TVs already are surveillance tools & Gen AI increasingly used: "LG has added Microsoft’s Copilot to webOS TVs via a software update, and it cannot be uninstalled...update also enables Live Plus by default, which uses viewing data for personalized recommendations and ads..."
bit.ly/3MAbs6F

How Netflix and the Ellisons Could Compromise on Warner We’re heading into our last full working week of the year, so the news flow is likely to start quieting down. (Be on the lookout for ServiceNow’s next big acquisition, however). One story that’s likel...

A Netflix/Ellison/Paramount "deal" would bring multiple harms to content & ownership diversity, consumer protection, privacy in US and worldwide. Stop the #WBD sale.
www.theinformation.com/articles/net...

Netflix+Warner underscores failure to regulate US media to serve the public interest in digital era. Content diversity, creativity, & commitment to democratic values should be core function. Left with the Ellison's, Comcast, Netflix. Should be wake-up call to advocates, funders, indies, scholars.

C21Media HOME TO THE INTERNATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT COMMUNITY

Does #Ofcom recognize the trade offs with privacy, commercialization & exposure to marketing when it praises BBC kids programming shown on Google YouTube. Feeding UK kids into the commercial surveillance Gen AI marketing machine. www.c21media.net/news/ofcom-e...