The European regulatory landscape for online advertising is at a turning point. Regulators step up enforcement under the GDPR, the DMA and the DSA and industry players explore alternatives to cookies. Despite these advancements, online advertising remains an area where users do not experience strong privacy protections, and the withdrawal of the ePrivacy Regulation proposal can only exacerbate these concerns.

The industry’s reliance on invasive tracking, excessive profiling, and opaque data practices makes the current model deeply flawed. At the same time, online advertising remains central to the internet economy, supporting access to information, content creators, and journalism.

This Mozilla Mornings session will bring together policymakers, industry experts and civil society to discuss how online advertising can evolve in a way that benefits both users and businesses. EFF will be represented by Svea Windwehr, Asst. Director of EU Policy.

• How can we move towards a more privacy-respecting and transparent advertising ecosystem while maintaining the economic sustainability of the open web?
• How can regulatory reforms, combined with developments in the space of Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PETs) and Privacy-Preserving Technologies (PPTs), provide a viable alternative to today’s surveillance-based advertising?
• And what are the key challenges in making this shift at both the policy and technological levels?