Center for Digital Democracy

YouTube Lays Claim to Another Crown: The World’s Largest Media Company The influential financial research firm MoffettNathanson suggests that the Google-owned video platform passed Disney's media business in 2025.

YouTube requires video (& privacy) regulation--it is a production+advertising+distribution conglomerate. Not a passive publisher.
YouTube Lays Claim to Another Crown: The World’s Largest Media Company www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/dig... via @thr

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.

FTC consumer protection head says "Surveillance pricing was a term made up by the last admin. And so I'm not sure I accept that premise either." Shows they aren't in touch with the current market developments--which is unleashing greater surveillance pricing for consumers. bit.ly/3MO7asO

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

Chilling statement from leading US media regulator: 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."

As Netflix continues to try to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, we are joining the Block the Merger coalition — to oppose further consolidation in the media industry.

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."

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.