Jeff Chester

Congrats to @SenMarkey for decades long leadership to protect Americans online & off--and now again kids+teens. democraticmedia.org/publishings/...

‘We’re not trying to remake the economy’: FTC’s Mufarrige charts new course on tech enforcement The FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection chief discussed the agency’s embrace of age verification and how industry should think about data privacy enforcement under his watch.

Don't expect Trump FTC to address affordability--what you pay for groceries. Consumer protection head says "Surveillance pricing was a term made up by the last admin... not sure I accept that premise either." Shows they don't want to know how the digital data market harms consumers. bit.ly/3MO7asO

CBP Tapped Into the Online Advertising Ecosystem To Track Peoples’ Movements An internal DHS document obtained by 404 Media shows for the first time CBP used location data sourced from the online advertising industry to track phone locations. ICE has bought access to similar t...

Spies are us.
www.404media.co/cbp-tapped-i...

As Ted Sarandos of Netflix told Bloomberg, reflecting its review of WBD financials, the proposed Ellison takeover via huge debt will mean "less people working, less production." www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

POLITICO Pro: Republicans use Iran strikes to pressure Dems in DHS funding fight GOP lawmakers argue that homeland security should be prioritized over partisan squabbles as the threat of Iranian attacks rises.

Reading "Republicans use Iran strikes to pressure Dems in DHS funding fight" subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026... via @POLITICOPro

OpenAI's $110 billion funding round draws investment from Amazon, Nvidia, SoftBank OpenAI said on Friday it is raising $110 billion in a blockbuster funding round that would value the ChatGPT maker at $840 billion, in a deal that signals the feverish pace of investment in artificial...

Digital media consolidation grows. Yesterday, Meta & Google; Ellison TikTok+Paramount/CBS+WBD/CNN & today: www.reuters.com/business/ret...

The Ellison TikTok+Paramount/CBS, & soon + WBD combo requires scrutiny of all its digital operations & foreign ownership partners, investments. Lots of global issues here too.

Addressing decades of media consolidation & non-regulation--digital, data, cable TV & now Gen AI--requires sustained action. Ellison Paramount/ WBD takeover must be opposed. See too Google deal with Meta. Undoing partnerships must be on agenda too. bit.ly/4tZdI8o

@BrendanCarrFCC pressure campaign on media co's must be resisted. Carr thinks McCarthy era led to great journalism. Via Politico: "FCC Chair Brendan Carr wants broadcasters to air “patriotic, pro-America content” to support the White House’s plans to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary."

The Social Skinny: ChatGPT pilots ads; Instagram chief testifies in social media addiction trial A weekly roundup of app and tech news.

Meta/social media addiction: Answer by Meta AI "Adolescents (13-17 years old) are a significant market for Meta, given their high social media usage and influence on family spending. Meta's platforms have a large user base in this age group, making them a key demographic for advertisers."

Jeff Bezos profits on bended knee as journalism for democracy burns. 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..."

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/...

New US TikTok owners hoovering data on immigration status, transgender identity, sexual orientation, religion, and ethnicity. App deletions spike 150%. Home Affairs watching closely | Mi3 For US TikTok's new owners, it's a case of if you can't beat them buy them, copy them, and replicate the worst aspects of their business plans. TikTok has long been accused of siphoning data to Beijin...

Trump TikTok impact, privacy. www.mi-3.com.au/27-01-2026/n...

The Crime of Witness | Fintan O’Toole Renée Good and Alex Pretti were murdered for daring to interfere with the Trump administration’s efforts to normalize abductions and state violence.

"If the murder of Alex Pretti on the streets of Minneapolis cannot be called murder, an authoritarian regime has passed one of its crucial tests: it can reverse all meanings, turning the ultimate moral transgression upside down..." www.nybooks.com/online/2026/...

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...

Meta AI companion crackdown could reshape future ad opportunities Meta is tightening teen safeguards for its AI companions in a move that could help make future chatbot ads more viable.

Typical Meta ploy with youth as key market as it builds its Gen AI commercial surveillance marketing.
Meta AI companion crackdown could reshape future ad opportunities www.insiderintelligence.com/content/meta...

Agree with those calling for Alphabet/Google; Meta/Instagram/WhatsApp; Amazon/Prime/AWS & Apple (phone, TV, app) to speak out against threats to democracy & public safety from ICE/DHS. CEOs, execs, & staff. Opportunity to try & redress recent ethical failures by your companies.

Trump Adm surveillance--kids' schools: "US IMMIGRATION AND Customs Enforcement is asking companies to provide information about “commercial Big Data and Ad Tech” products that would “directly support investigations activities,”...https://www.wired.com/story/ice-a

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...

As well as 2024 US election under major threat via The New Yorker

Congress can freeze out funding for ICE in 2 weeks — but only if Democrats are a unified opposition. To make that happen, we must flood their offices with calls to demand ICE Out For Good.

Call your senators: indivisible.org/ice-out-sena...

Call your representative: indivisible.org/ice-out-hous...

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