The Advertising Association, IAB UK, IPA & ISBA member call on the work of the Online Advertising Taskforce heard directly from Mark Lund OBE, co-chair of the Online Advertising Taskforce and chair of Asbof. Other Taskforce members also discussed what to expect from the Online Advertising Action Plan and how it will impact online advertising.
In February 2019, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced that it would consider how paid-for online advertising is regulated through the Online Advertising Programme. Last year, DCMS set up the Online Advertising Taskforce to bring government and industry together to support the aims of the programme. The Taskforce is current co-chaired by Julia Lopez, Minister for State for Data & Digital Infrastructure (DCMS), and Mark Lund (chair of Asbof). Its industry members include the Advertising Association, IAB UK, IPA, ISBA, NMA, StopScams and TechUK, with Government being represented by DCMS, Home Office, DBIT and DSIT.
The key outcome from this Online Advertising Taskforce was the agreement of an Action Plan that focusses on two broad categories of illegal online advertising and protection of under-18s. The Action Plan consists of a mixture of Government and industry-led actions which coalesce around the themes of information sharing, promoting and enhancing existing industry standards (such as IAB Gold Standard and the ASA's IPP), age verification, influencers and research.
