Online Behavioural Advertising (OBA) is a practice that is based on an online user’s browsing activity over time and across multiple websites that allows marketers to deliver ads that may better reflect the user’s interests. It may also be known as Data-Driven Advertising (DDA), personalised or targeted advertising.
The EASA Best Practice Recommendation on Online Behavioural Advertising, first released in 2011 and later revised in 2016 provides a pan-European, industry-wide self-regulatory standard for data-driven advertising, which empowers consumers across Europe. The Best Practice Recommendation promotes the identification of OBA data collection and use practices on ads and websites via a uniform European-wide icon, in concert with operational standards of the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA).
This icon clicks through to a simple mechanism that provides consumers with full transparency and control, allowing them to exercise their online choices. It allows internet users to find out more about which companies are involved in serving the ad and also directs them to a European-wide website and to disable personalised advertising: www.youronlinechoices.eu.
The website provides information about Data-Driven Advertising and a simple means for consumers, in their national language, to exercise their choice about whether they want to receive OBA ads. Consumers that wish to lodge a complaint about a particular practice of OBA will be able to do so via the established, independent advertising self-regulatory organisation in their home country.
With the adoption of the Best Practice Recommendation, national advertising self-regulatory organisations have committed to applying self-regulatory standards to Online Behavioural Advertising, handling complaints thereon, and introducing the principles of the recommendation into their Codes.
Further Information
- The debate on OBA was sparked at EU level in 2009 when MEPs, Commissioners and national governments’ debated the 2009 e-Privacy Directive;
- In 2010, then Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes challenged the ad industry to empower all European citizens through greater transparency, choice and control. EASA responded in 2011 by publishing the OBA Best Practice Recommendation;
- Today, the OBA consumer transparency icon directs consumers to the website www.youronlinechoices.eu, available in 27 European languages and across 33 countries, which explains the Online Behavioural Advertising process and gives consumers choice.
- EASA is working with EDAA in the enforcement of their newest self-regulatory programme, the Advanced Advertising Transparency Programme (AATP), providing companies with a solution to the challenges posed by the EU’s Digital Services Act article 26 and going beyond legal requirements. You can find participating companies to the two EDAA programmes here.
