Trump administration explores buying ad data for immigration enforcement, sparking industry backlash
By
Alfred Ng
Pure flour-power. Hearty enough to carry you through lunch.
Summary
The article examines how U.S. immigration enforcement agencies under the Trump administration are exploring the purchase of digital advertising data to identify and target undocumented immigrants. This raises serious ethical concerns within the adtech industry, as data collected for marketing purposes could be repurposed for surveillance and immigration enforcement. Industry insiders and trade groups fear public backlash and potential regulation, while grappling with the moral implications of their data being used in federal immigration probes.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledIt's very shocking to see it in black and white that the government is trying to use the digital advertising ecosystem to find and target immigrants.
It makes me very, very nervous about how people's day-to-day use of the internet or their interactions with social media turn into being targeted. That's terrifying.
The adtech industry's leading trade groups also expressed concern — partly out of fear that a public backlash could lead to regulations.
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