MobileDevMemo

<p>Last week, Unity canceled the Runtime Fee that it announced in September of last year. From the company's blog post outlining the decision: After deep consultation with our community, customers, and partners, we’ve made the decision to cancel the Runtime Fee for our games customers, effective immediately ... However, we can’t pursue that mission in [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/unity-cancels-its-engine-runtime-fee/">Unity cancels its engine runtime fee</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com">Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert</a>.</p>


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    <p>Last week, Unity canceled the Runtime Fee that it announced in September of last year. From the company's blog post outlining the decision: After deep consultation with our community, customers, and partners, we’ve made the decision to cancel the Runtime Fee for our games customers, effective immediately ... However, we can’t pursue that mission in [&hellip;]</p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/unity-cancels-its-engine-runtime-fee/">Unity cancels its engine runtime fee</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com">Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert</a>.</p>


Last week, Unity canceled the Runtime Fee that it announced in September of last year. From the company's blog post outlining the decision: After deep consultation with our community, customers, and partners, we’ve made the decision to cancel the Runtime Fee for our games customers, effective immediately ... However, we can’t pursue that mission in […]
This content is only available to subscribers. If you are already a subscriber, please log in to view this content. If you are not a subscriber, subscriptions start at just $8.99 per month.
The post Unity cancels its engine runtime fee appeared first on Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert.

Last week, Unity canceled the Runtime Fee that it announced in September of last year. From the company's blog post outlining the decision: After deep consultation with our community, customers, and partners, we’ve made the decision to cancel the Runtime Fee for our games customers, effective immediately ... However, we can’t pursue that mission in […]
The post Unity cancels its engine runtime fee appeared first on Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert.

Unity cancels its engine runtime fee

<p>A notable reversal took place in Q2 of this year: the market capitalization of AppLovin, the mobile gaming ad network, overtook that of Snap on a sustained basis. AppLovin's market capitalization had eclipsed Snap's at various points in the past -- in September 2023, and then for several days in the early part of this [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/why-is-applovin-worth-2x-snap/">AppLovin, Snap, and the new Walled Garden pathway</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com">Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert</a>.</p>


<div class="mp_wrapper">
  <div class="mepr-unauthorized-excerpt">
    <p>A notable reversal took place in Q2 of this year: the market capitalization of AppLovin, the mobile gaming ad network, overtook that of Snap on a sustained basis. AppLovin's market capitalization had eclipsed Snap's at various points in the past -- in September 2023, and then for several days in the early part of this [&hellip;]</p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/why-is-applovin-worth-2x-snap/">AppLovin, Snap, and the new Walled Garden pathway</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com">Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert</a>.</p>


A notable reversal took place in Q2 of this year: the market capitalization of AppLovin, the mobile gaming ad network, overtook that of Snap on a sustained basis. AppLovin's market capitalization had eclipsed Snap's at various points in the past -- in September 2023, and then for several days in the early part of this […]
This content is only available to subscribers. If you are already a subscriber, please log in to view this content. If you are not a subscriber, subscriptions start at just $8.99 per month.
The post AppLovin, Snap, and the new Walled Garden pathway appeared first on Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert.

A notable reversal took place in Q2 of this year: the market capitalization of AppLovin, the mobile gaming ad network, overtook that of Snap on a sustained basis. AppLovin's market capitalization had eclipsed Snap's at various points in the past -- in September 2023, and then for several days in the early part of this […]
The post AppLovin, Snap, and the new Walled Garden pathway appeared first on Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert.

AppLovin, Snap, and the new Walled Garden pathway

<p>In this week&#8217;s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast, I speak with notable ad tech authority and former podcast guest Ari Paparo about the specifics of the Department of Justice&#8217;s lawsuit against Google in its ad tech lawsuit, which recently went to trial. Ari is the CEO of Marketecture, which recently launched a new [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/podcast-unpacking-the-dojs-ad-tech-suit-against-google-with-ari-paparo/">Podcast: Unpacking the DoJ&#8217;s ad tech suit against Google (with Ari Paparo)</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com">Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert</a>.</p>



<figure data-carousel-extra='{"blog_id":1,"permalink":"https:\/\/mobiledevmemo.com\/podcast-unpacking-the-dojs-ad-tech-suit-against-google-with-ari-paparo\/"}'  class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom.png"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="538" data-attachment-id="41654" data-permalink="https://mobiledevmemo.com/mdm_social_share-photoroom/" data-orig-file="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom.png" data-orig-size="1200,630" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom-300x158.png" data-large-file="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom-1024x538.png" tabindex="0" role="button" data-id="41654" src="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom-1024x538.png" alt="" class="wp-image-41654" srcset="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom-1024x538.png 1024w, https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom-300x158.png 300w, https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom-768x403.png 768w, https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
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<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<span class="eR274Zg5QIzmf0Kj1kbAELHlGuMxvOpnfcbdABu9eyVkFvCNUaSp9jUayZqNrYIiDtVWn13D0wXsFz8JEGcgClo32rsYK"><iframe title="Spotify Embed: Season 4, Episode 2: Unpacking the DoJ&amp;apos;s ad tech suit against Google (with Ari Paparo)" style="border-radius: 12px" width="100%" height="152" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/6Kcs0LW6ktjAI9p114byJq?si=7a08d0f825f0498c&#038;utm_source=oembed"></iframe></span>
</div></figure>



<p>In this week&#8217;s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast, I speak with notable ad tech authority and former podcast guest Ari Paparo about the specifics of the Department of Justice&#8217;s lawsuit against Google in its ad tech lawsuit, which recently went to trial. Ari is the CEO of <a href="https://www.marketecture.tv/">Marketecture</a>, which recently launched a new sub-site dedicated to Google&#8217;s antitrust lawsuits called <strong><a href="https://monopoly.marketecture.tv/">The Monopoly Report</a></strong>.</p>



<p>I used this opportunity to speak to Ari to have him explain the various allegations made in the lawsuit (which I originally covered <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/doj-sues-google-unpacking-charges-of-monopoly-abuse/">here</a>). Among other things, Ari explains the specifics of:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Google&#8217;s restriction of its demand to AdX;</li>



<li>Google&#8217;s restriction of real-time bidding to AdX, while giving AdX &#8220;first look&#8221; (dynamic allocation);</li>



<li>Project Bernanke / Global Bernanke / Project Bell;</li>



<li>Header bidding and why Google wanted to suppress it;</li>



<li>Project Poirot;</li>



<li>Unified Pricing Rules / removing per-exchange price floors;</li>



<li>Who was harmed by these tactics, and how.</li>
</ul>



<p>Thanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong><a href="https://kayzen.io/">Kayzen</a>.</strong> A mobile-first DSP that is built to democratize programmatic advertising.</li>



<li><a href="https://www.incrmntal.com/"><strong>INCRMNTAL</strong>⁠⁠</a>. True attribution measures incrementality, always on.</li>
</ul>



<p>Interested in sponsoring the Mobile Dev Memo podcast? Contact&nbsp;<a href="mailto:info@marketecture.tv">⁠Marketecture⁠</a>.</p>



<p>The Mobile Dev Memo podcast is available on:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mobile-dev-memo-podcast/id1423753783" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Apple Podcasts</a></li>



<li><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0RCsc3OW1p9jH5YC0qQTp0?si=jgSk98sURta7aWBpjkTpXg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Spotify</a></li>



<li><a href="https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy80NTM2OWE4L3BvZGNhc3QvcnNz" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Google Podcasts</a></li>
</ul>
<p>The post <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/podcast-unpacking-the-dojs-ad-tech-suit-against-google-with-ari-paparo/">Podcast: Unpacking the DoJ&#8217;s ad tech suit against Google (with Ari Paparo)</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com">Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert</a>.</p>


In this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast, I speak with notable ad tech authority and former podcast guest Ari Paparo about the specifics of the Department of Justice’s lawsuit against Google in its ad tech lawsuit, which recently went to trial. Ari is the CEO of Marketecture, which recently launched a new sub-site dedicated to Google’s antitrust lawsuits called The Monopoly Report.
I used this opportunity to speak to Ari to have him explain the various allegations made in the lawsuit (which I originally covered here). Among other things, Ari explains the specifics of:
Google’s restriction of its demand to AdX;
Google’s restriction of real-time bidding to AdX, while giving AdX “first look” (dynamic allocation);
Project Bernanke / Global Bernanke / Project Bell;
Header bidding and why Google wanted to suppress it;
Project Poirot;
Unified Pricing Rules / removing per-exchange price floors;
Who was harmed by these tactics, and how.
Thanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast:
Kayzen. A mobile-first DSP that is built to democratize programmatic advertising.
INCRMNTAL⁠⁠. True attribution measures incrementality, always on.
Interested in sponsoring the Mobile Dev Memo podcast? Contact ⁠Marketecture⁠.
The Mobile Dev Memo podcast is available on:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Google Podcasts
The post Podcast: Unpacking the DoJ’s ad tech suit against Google (with Ari Paparo) appeared first on Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert.

In this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast, I speak with notable ad tech authority and former podcast guest Ari Paparo about the specifics of the Department of Justice’s lawsuit against Google in its ad tech lawsuit, which recently went to trial. Ari is the CEO of Marketecture, which recently launched a new […]
The post Podcast: Unpacking the DoJ’s ad tech suit against Google (with Ari Paparo) appeared first on Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert.

Podcast: Unpacking the DoJ’s ad tech suit against Google (with Ari Paparo)

<p>The notion that smartphone owners&#8217; ambient conversations are monitored for ad targeting foments into a public furor every so often. Most recently, 404 Media published a report revealing that a subsidiary of the Cox Media Group claims to be able to use voice data collected surreptitiously from smartphones to target ads on various channels; the [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/your-phone-isnt-secretly-listening-to-you-for-ad-targeting/">Your phone isn&#8217;t secretly listening to you for ad targeting</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com">Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert</a>.</p>



<figure data-carousel-extra='{"blog_id":1,"permalink":"https:\/\/mobiledevmemo.com\/your-phone-isnt-secretly-listening-to-you-for-ad-targeting\/"}'  class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-4 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/mdm_smartphone_not_spying_for_ads_targeting.jpg"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="585" data-attachment-id="46230" data-permalink="https://mobiledevmemo.com/your-phone-isnt-secretly-listening-to-you-for-ad-targeting/mdm_smartphone_not_spying_for_ads_targeting/" data-orig-file="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/mdm_smartphone_not_spying_for_ads_targeting.jpg" data-orig-size="1792,1024" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="mdm_smartphone_not_spying_for_ads_targeting" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/mdm_smartphone_not_spying_for_ads_targeting-300x171.jpg" data-large-file="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/mdm_smartphone_not_spying_for_ads_targeting-1024x585.jpg" tabindex="0" role="button" data-id="46230" src="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/mdm_smartphone_not_spying_for_ads_targeting-1024x585.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-46230" srcset="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/mdm_smartphone_not_spying_for_ads_targeting-1024x585.jpg 1024w, https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/mdm_smartphone_not_spying_for_ads_targeting-300x171.jpg 300w, https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/mdm_smartphone_not_spying_for_ads_targeting-768x439.jpg 768w, https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/mdm_smartphone_not_spying_for_ads_targeting-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/mdm_smartphone_not_spying_for_ads_targeting.jpg 1792w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
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<p>The notion that smartphone owners&#8217; ambient conversations are monitored for ad targeting foments into a public furor every so often. Most recently, <em>404 Media</em> published a <a href="https://www.404media.co/heres-the-pitch-deck-for-active-listening-ad-targeting/">report</a> revealing that a subsidiary of the Cox Media Group claims to be able to use voice data collected surreptitiously from smartphones to target ads on various channels; the report was picked up by outlets such as <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-13805393/Facebook-partner-brags-listening-phones-microphone-serve-ads.html"><em>The Daily Mail</em></a>, <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/09/03/business/marketing-firm-spies-on-you-through-your-phones-microphone-report/"><em>New York Post</em></a>, and <a href="https://www.skynews.com.au/business/cox-media-group-admits-using-your-phone-to-listen-to-conversations-report/news-story/6df0694ecda28e0affb6b737b86a8458"><em>Sky News Australia</em></a>.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Screen-Shot-2024-09-06-at-7.49.01-AM.png"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="577" data-attachment-id="46228" data-permalink="https://mobiledevmemo.com/your-phone-isnt-secretly-listening-to-you-for-ad-targeting/screen-shot-2024-09-06-at-7-49-01-am/" data-orig-file="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Screen-Shot-2024-09-06-at-7.49.01-AM.png" data-orig-size="1270,716" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="Screen Shot 2024-09-06 at 7.49.01 AM" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Screen-Shot-2024-09-06-at-7.49.01-AM-300x169.png" data-large-file="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Screen-Shot-2024-09-06-at-7.49.01-AM-1024x577.png" tabindex="0" role="button" src="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Screen-Shot-2024-09-06-at-7.49.01-AM-1024x577.png" alt="" class="wp-image-46228" srcset="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Screen-Shot-2024-09-06-at-7.49.01-AM-1024x577.png 1024w, https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Screen-Shot-2024-09-06-at-7.49.01-AM-300x169.png 300w, https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Screen-Shot-2024-09-06-at-7.49.01-AM-768x433.png 768w, https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Screen-Shot-2024-09-06-at-7.49.01-AM.png 1270w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>



<p>The relevant slide from Cox Media Group&#8217;s recent sales deck is above, but its assertion of capability is not new; it surfaced in December 2023 from a <a href="https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/active-listening-marketers-smartphones-ad-targeting-cox-media-group-1235841007/">similar sales pitch deck</a>, where the tool was given the name &#8220;Active Listening,&#8221; for which the company declared:</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>It’s True. Your Devices Are Listening to You. With Active Listening, CMG can now use voice data to target your advertising to the EXACT people you are looking for.</p>
</blockquote>



<p>The revelation catalyzed a news cycle at the time, and the Cox Media Group subsequently scrubbed its website of all mentions of the tool. This particular advertising agency&#8217;s ability to deliver this type of functionality is suspect; the slide above is exceptionally vague and doesn&#8217;t explain how AI, voice data, and ads targeting feasibly fit together. But the idea that smartphones parse conversations for specific keywords to use in targeting ads didn&#8217;t start with this agency. Mark Zuckerberg was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI_6we-nqBk">asked pointedly</a> in a Senate hearing by Senator Gary Peters (MI) in 2018 if its apps use smartphone microphones to collect ambient voice data to target ads &#8212; he responded, directly, that the company doesn&#8217;t. The relevant portion of the exchange is below:</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p><strong>PETERS</strong>: And — and I think an example of this is something that I&#8217;ve been hearing a lot from folks that have been coming up to me and talking about really, kind of the experience they&#8217;ve had, where they&#8217;re having a conversation with friends. <br><br>Not on the phone, just talking. And then they see ads popping up fairly quickly on their Facebook. So I&#8217;ve heard constituents fear that Facebook is mining audio from their mobile devices for the purpose of ad targeting. Which I think speaks to this lack of trust that we&#8217;re seeing here, but — and I understand there&#8217;s some technical issues and logistical issues for that to happen. <br><br>But for the record, I think it&#8217;s clear — see, I hear it all the time, including from my own staff. Yes or no, does Facebook use audio obtained from mobile devices to enrich personal information about its users?<br><br><strong>ZUCKERBERG</strong>: No &#8230; Well, senator, let me be — let me be clear on this. So you&#8217;re — you&#8217;re talking about this conspiracy theory that gets passed around that we listen to what&#8217;s going on, on your microphone and use that for ads. <br><br><strong>PETERS</strong>: Right. <br><br><strong>ZUCKERBERG</strong>: We don&#8217;t do that.</p>
</blockquote>



<p>It seems unlikely that the CEO of a publicly traded company would blatantly lie under oath during a Congressional testimony. But if Meta doesn&#8217;t furtively harvest voice data from smartphones for ads targeting &#8212; and it is perhaps the company most associated with the hypothetical practice &#8212; then what would need to be true for any other company to do so? Answering that question requires surveying the roadblocks that exist for the practice:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Both iOS and Android require an app to receive user permission to access the device microphone</strong>. When permission is granted, both operating systems allow apps to access the microphone when the app is in the background, although Android limits the amount of time and use cases for which an app can do so;</li>



<li><strong>Both iOS and Android indicate when the microphone is in use</strong> through lights on the screen. When the indicator is on, users on both platforms can detect which apps are using the microphone with a limited amount of investigation;</li>



<li><strong>Both <a href="https://www.theverge.com/24067924/iphone-ios-data-usage-apps-how-to">iOS</a> and <a href="https://www.androidpolice.com/check-data-use-android-phone-tablet/">Android</a> allow users to audit data transmission per app</strong>. Harvesting voice data continuously, or even just when certain keywords are triggered, and transmitting that data back to some central server would utilize a large volume of data, which could raise the suspicion of users.</li>
</ul>



<p>Beyond these restrictions, for a company to be able to harvest this data, and <em>enough</em> of this data for it to be compelling to advertisers, the company would need either a large distribution footprint &#8212; its app installed on many devices &#8212; or an ability to purchase this data from a third party that does. Any company that professes this functionality would need to credibly prove access to the underlying data. Certainly, many companies &#8212; like social media platforms and game developers &#8212; can claim this. But how many advertising agencies can? </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<span class="EjTuaKZIA5AwfrHYimXx9bSfDVc02gjG1HayQ6nt3KFhleNb6CopRG7dtuBm3lZVCQODnqSReJhLd7IpTkYM8PWUxW1iLXUNc"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is such an absurd recurring delusion:<br><br>&#8211; the “Facebook partner” cited here is a small marketing subsidiary of Cox Media Group. It claims to have built a product — “Active Listening” — that can be used to target ads on various channels to specific people based on keywords… <a href="https://t.co/Mc4eew162p">https://t.co/Mc4eew162p</a> <a href="https://t.co/89hxIWbHpL">pic.twitter.com/89hxIWbHpL</a></p>&mdash; Eric Seufert (@eric_seufert) <a href="https://twitter.com/eric_seufert/status/1831085119937098073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2024</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></span>
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<p>Further, more practically, anyone selling a tool like Active Listening would need to convincingly explain why voice data parsed by keywords is useful for ads targeting. The examples shared in the most recent version of the deck (above) are either of dubious value (&#8220;Do I see mold on the ceiling?&#8221;) or simply seem unnatural in everyday conversation (&#8220;The car lease ends in a month- we need a plan&#8221;). Why would these keywords as stated in conversation be more indicative of intent than when included in searches? And how likely are these keywords to be used in a commercially relevant way in conversation versus incidentally (&#8220;A car lease is a terrible financial decision&#8221;)? The same can obviously be said of keywords targeted in search, but an advertiser has direct control of those.</p>



<p>Advertising agencies often overstate their capabilities. Perhaps the most infamous example of this is  <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/cambridge-analytica-was-a-false-panic-its-time-to-move-on/">Cambridge Analytica</a>, which claimed to be able to target potential voters based on psychographic profiles but in reality was determined by the UK&#8217;s ICO to have used &#8220;well recognised processes using commonly available technology&#8221; which raised &#8220;concern internally about the external messaging when set against the reality of their processing.&#8221; With respect to voice data collection, CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/phone-listening-facebook-google-ads/">partnered</a> with the Electronic Frontier Foundation to monitor outgoing traffic to potential audio data harvesters when commercially valuable keywords were uttered into a smartphone and didn&#8217;t observe any. The BBC engaged in a similar exercise and reached the same conclusion. </p>



<p>More realistic than any advertising agency possessing the capacity to harvest (or buy) tremendous volumes of audio data &#8212; and to be able to parse that data for relevant commercial intent &#8212; is that this practice exists as a perennial fallacy animated by broad, warranted digital advertising skepticism. Anyone looking for reasons to be critical of the data collection and utilization undertaken in digital advertising is spoiled for choice. But the idea that advertising platforms &#8212; and especially boutique advertising agencies &#8212; can harvest audio data from smartphones to use for ads targeting is almost certainly a delirious myth. </p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/your-phone-isnt-secretly-listening-to-you-for-ad-targeting/">Your phone isn&#8217;t secretly listening to you for ad targeting</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com">Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert</a>.</p>


The notion that smartphone owners’ ambient conversations are monitored for ad targeting foments into a public furor every so often. Most recently, 404 Media published a report revealing that a subsidiary of the Cox Media Group claims to be able to use voice data collected surreptitiously from smartphones to target ads on various channels; the report was picked up by outlets such as The Daily Mail, New York Post, and Sky News Australia.




The relevant slide from Cox Media Group’s recent sales deck is above, but its assertion of capability is not new; it surfaced in December 2023 from a similar sales pitch deck, where the tool was given the name “Active Listening,” for which the company declared:
It’s True. Your Devices Are Listening to You. With Active Listening, CMG can now use voice data to target your advertising to the EXACT people you are looking for.
The revelation catalyzed a news cycle at the time, and the Cox Media Group subsequently scrubbed its website of all mentions of the tool. This particular advertising agency’s ability to deliver this type of functionality is suspect; the slide above is exceptionally vague and doesn’t explain how AI, voice data, and ads targeting feasibly fit together. But the idea that smartphones parse conversations for specific keywords to use in targeting ads didn’t start with this agency. Mark Zuckerberg was asked pointedly in a Senate hearing by Senator Gary Peters (MI) in 2018 if its apps use smartphone microphones to collect ambient voice data to target ads — he responded, directly, that the company doesn’t. The relevant portion of the exchange is below:
PETERS: And — and I think an example of this is something that I’ve been hearing a lot from folks that have been coming up to me and talking about really, kind of the experience they’ve had, where they’re having a conversation with friends. 
Not on the phone, just talking. And then they see ads popping up fairly quickly on their Facebook. So I’ve heard constituents fear that Facebook is mining audio from their mobile devices for the purpose of ad targeting. Which I think speaks to this lack of trust that we’re seeing here, but — and I understand there’s some technical issues and logistical issues for that to happen. 
But for the record, I think it’s clear — see, I hear it all the time, including from my own staff. Yes or no, does Facebook use audio obtained from mobile devices to enrich personal information about its users?
ZUCKERBERG: No … Well, senator, let me be — let me be clear on this. So you’re — you’re talking about this conspiracy theory that gets passed around that we listen to what’s going on, on your microphone and use that for ads. 
PETERS: Right. 
ZUCKERBERG: We don’t do that.
It seems unlikely that the CEO of a publicly traded company would blatantly lie under oath during a Congressional testimony. But if Meta doesn’t furtively harvest voice data from smartphones for ads targeting — and it is perhaps the company most associated with the hypothetical practice — then what would need to be true for any other company to do so? Answering that question requires surveying the roadblocks that exist for the practice:
Both iOS and Android require an app to receive user permission to access the device microphone. When permission is granted, both operating systems allow apps to access the microphone when the app is in the background, although Android limits the amount of time and use cases for which an app can do so;
Both iOS and Android indicate when the microphone is in use through lights on the screen. When the indicator is on, users on both platforms can detect which apps are using the microphone with a limited amount of investigation;
Both iOS and Android allow users to audit data transmission per app. Harvesting voice data continuously, or even just when certain keywords are triggered, and transmitting that data back to some central server would utilize a large volume of data, which could raise the suspicion of users.
Beyond these restrictions, for a company to be able to harvest this data, and enough of this data for it to be compelling to advertisers, the company would need either a large distribution footprint — its app installed on many devices — or an ability to purchase this data from a third party that does. Any company that professes this functionality would need to credibly prove access to the underlying data. Certainly, many companies — like social media platforms and game developers — can claim this. But how many advertising agencies can? 


This is such an absurd recurring delusion:
– the “Facebook partner” cited here is a small marketing subsidiary of Cox Media Group. It claims to have built a product — “Active Listening” — that can be used to target ads on various channels to specific people based on keywords… https://t.co/Mc4eew162p pic.twitter.com/89hxIWbHpL
— Eric Seufert (@eric_seufert) September 3, 2024





Further, more practically, anyone selling a tool like Active Listening would need to convincingly explain why voice data parsed by keywords is useful for ads targeting. The examples shared in the most recent version of the deck (above) are either of dubious value (“Do I see mold on the ceiling?”) or simply seem unnatural in everyday conversation (“The car lease ends in a month- we need a plan”). Why would these keywords as stated in conversation be more indicative of intent than when included in searches? And how likely are these keywords to be used in a commercially relevant way in conversation versus incidentally (“A car lease is a terrible financial decision”)? The same can obviously be said of keywords targeted in search, but an advertiser has direct control of those.
Advertising agencies often overstate their capabilities. Perhaps the most infamous example of this is  Cambridge Analytica, which claimed to be able to target potential voters based on psychographic profiles but in reality was determined by the UK’s ICO to have used “well recognised processes using commonly available technology” which raised “concern internally about the external messaging when set against the reality of their processing.” With respect to voice data collection, CBS News partnered with the Electronic Frontier Foundation to monitor outgoing traffic to potential audio data harvesters when commercially valuable keywords were uttered into a smartphone and didn’t observe any. The BBC engaged in a similar exercise and reached the same conclusion. 
More realistic than any advertising agency possessing the capacity to harvest (or buy) tremendous volumes of audio data — and to be able to parse that data for relevant commercial intent — is that this practice exists as a perennial fallacy animated by broad, warranted digital advertising skepticism. Anyone looking for reasons to be critical of the data collection and utilization undertaken in digital advertising is spoiled for choice. But the idea that advertising platforms — and especially boutique advertising agencies — can harvest audio data from smartphones to use for ads targeting is almost certainly a delirious myth. 
The post Your phone isn’t secretly listening to you for ad targeting appeared first on Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert.

The notion that smartphone owners’ ambient conversations are monitored for ad targeting foments into a public furor every so often. Most recently, 404 Media published a report revealing that a subsidiary of the Cox Media Group claims to be able to use voice data collected surreptitiously from smartphones to target ads on various channels; the […]
The post Your phone isn’t secretly listening to you for ad targeting appeared first on Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert.

Your phone isn’t secretly listening to you for ad targeting

<p>Kamala Harris' presidential campaign intends to deploy $370MM on advertising -- with $200MM dedicated to digital channels -- ahead of the election, according to reporting from the FT (emphasis mine): Kamala Harris is planning to spend $370mn on advertising between early September and the US election in November, including what her campaign is describing as [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/kamala-harris-digital-advertising-blitz/">Kamala Harris&#8217; digital advertising blitz</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com">Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert</a>.</p>


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    <p>Kamala Harris' presidential campaign intends to deploy $370MM on advertising -- with $200MM dedicated to digital channels -- ahead of the election, according to reporting from the FT (emphasis mine): Kamala Harris is planning to spend $370mn on advertising between early September and the US election in November, including what her campaign is describing as [&hellip;]</p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/kamala-harris-digital-advertising-blitz/">Kamala Harris&#8217; digital advertising blitz</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com">Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert</a>.</p>


Kamala Harris' presidential campaign intends to deploy $370MM on advertising -- with $200MM dedicated to digital channels -- ahead of the election, according to reporting from the FT (emphasis mine): Kamala Harris is planning to spend $370mn on advertising between early September and the US election in November, including what her campaign is describing as […]
This content is only available to subscribers. If you are already a subscriber, please log in to view this content. If you are not a subscriber, subscriptions start at just $8.99 per month.
The post Kamala Harris’ digital advertising blitz appeared first on Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert.

Kamala Harris' presidential campaign intends to deploy $370MM on advertising -- with $200MM dedicated to digital channels -- ahead of the election, according to reporting from the FT (emphasis mine): Kamala Harris is planning to spend $370mn on advertising between early September and the US election in November, including what her campaign is describing as […]
The post Kamala Harris’ digital advertising blitz appeared first on Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert.

Kamala Harris’ digital advertising blitz

<p>In this episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast, I speak with Bill Grosso, the CEO of Game Data Pros, a consultancy that specializes in experimentation for digital entertainment. Over the course of our conversation, among other things, we discuss: Thanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast: Interested [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/podcast-mastering-experimentation-in-consumer-products-with-bill-grosso/">Podcast: Mastering experimentation in consumer products (with Bill Grosso)</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com">Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert</a>.</p>



<figure data-carousel-extra='{"blog_id":1,"permalink":"https:\/\/mobiledevmemo.com\/podcast-mastering-experimentation-in-consumer-products-with-bill-grosso\/"}'  class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom.png"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="538" data-attachment-id="41654" data-permalink="https://mobiledevmemo.com/mdm_social_share-photoroom/" data-orig-file="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom.png" data-orig-size="1200,630" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom-300x158.png" data-large-file="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom-1024x538.png" tabindex="0" role="button" data-id="41654" src="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom-1024x538.png" alt="" class="wp-image-41654" srcset="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom-1024x538.png 1024w, https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom-300x158.png 300w, https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom-768x403.png 768w, https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
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<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<span class="B3pkZYo8vGLgBlxWZAYwC8U5bFG1NQbEKXf3tJDeR9TuNmutcnClUM2awqaVXKSVM79syg6FJrxckj"><iframe title="Spotify Embed: Season 4, Episode 1: Mastering experimentation in consumer products (with Bill Grosso)" style="border-radius: 12px" width="100%" height="152" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/5oK8zzgFuYn2FZrepwbYxD?si=871ac5eab86e43f2&#038;utm_source=oembed"></iframe></span>
</div></figure>



<p>In this episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast, I speak with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/wgrosso/">Bill Grosso</a>, the CEO of <a href="https://gamedatapros.com/">Game Data Pros</a>, a consultancy that specializes in experimentation for digital entertainment. Over the course of our conversation, among other things, we discuss:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Experimentation as a concept in consumer products;</li>



<li>Whether experimentation should exist as a standalone team or be integrated into the workflow of a product team;</li>



<li>The tools needed for experimentation;</li>



<li>How to ensure that experiments don’t conflict with or negate each other;</li>



<li>Pricing experimentation;</li>



<li>The most severe mistakes teams make with experimentation.</li>
</ul>



<p>Thanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong><a href="https://kayzen.io/">Kayzen</a>.</strong> A mobile-first DSP that is built to democratize programmatic advertising.</li>



<li><a href="https://www.incrmntal.com/"><strong>INCRMNTAL</strong>⁠⁠</a>. True attribution measures incrementality, always on.</li>



<li><strong><a href="https://rockerbox.com/maze">Rockerbox</a></strong>. Get the clarity your&nbsp;marketing&nbsp;needs and navigate your way to success with&nbsp;Rockerbox. Visit&nbsp;<a href="http://rockerbox.com/maze" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rockerbox.com/maze</a>&nbsp;today to see what it’s all about.</li>
</ul>



<p>Interested in sponsoring the Mobile Dev Memo podcast? Contact&nbsp;<a href="mailto:info@marketecture.tv">⁠Marketecture⁠</a>.</p>



<p>The Mobile Dev Memo podcast is available on:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mobile-dev-memo-podcast/id1423753783" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Apple Podcasts</a></li>



<li><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0RCsc3OW1p9jH5YC0qQTp0?si=jgSk98sURta7aWBpjkTpXg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Spotify</a></li>



<li><a href="https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy80NTM2OWE4L3BvZGNhc3QvcnNz" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Google Podcasts</a></li>
</ul>



<p></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/podcast-mastering-experimentation-in-consumer-products-with-bill-grosso/">Podcast: Mastering experimentation in consumer products (with Bill Grosso)</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com">Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert</a>.</p>


In this episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast, I speak with Bill Grosso, the CEO of Game Data Pros, a consultancy that specializes in experimentation for digital entertainment. Over the course of our conversation, among other things, we discuss:
Experimentation as a concept in consumer products;
Whether experimentation should exist as a standalone team or be integrated into the workflow of a product team;
The tools needed for experimentation;
How to ensure that experiments don’t conflict with or negate each other;
Pricing experimentation;
The most severe mistakes teams make with experimentation.
Thanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast:
Kayzen. A mobile-first DSP that is built to democratize programmatic advertising.
INCRMNTAL⁠⁠. True attribution measures incrementality, always on.
Rockerbox. Get the clarity your marketing needs and navigate your way to success with Rockerbox. Visit rockerbox.com/maze today to see what it’s all about.
Interested in sponsoring the Mobile Dev Memo podcast? Contact ⁠Marketecture⁠.
The Mobile Dev Memo podcast is available on:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Google Podcasts

The post Podcast: Mastering experimentation in consumer products (with Bill Grosso) appeared first on Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert.

In this episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast, I speak with Bill Grosso, the CEO of Game Data Pros, a consultancy that specializes in experimentation for digital entertainment. Over the course of our conversation, among other things, we discuss: Thanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast: Interested […]
The post Podcast: Mastering experimentation in consumer products (with Bill Grosso) appeared first on Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert.

Podcast: Mastering experimentation in consumer products (with Bill Grosso)

<p>Amazon reported $12.8BN in advertising revenue in Q2 2024. At 20%, Amazon's advertising revenue growth in the quarter was nearly double the growth of its net sales -- this ratio has remained fairly consistent over the past few quarters. As a result, advertising revenue as a proportion of Amazon's total net sales has consistently grown [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/amazon-the-advertising-behemoth/">Amazon, the advertising behemoth</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com">Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert</a>.</p>


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  <div class="mepr-unauthorized-excerpt">
    <p>Amazon reported $12.8BN in advertising revenue in Q2 2024. At 20%, Amazon's advertising revenue growth in the quarter was nearly double the growth of its net sales -- this ratio has remained fairly consistent over the past few quarters. As a result, advertising revenue as a proportion of Amazon's total net sales has consistently grown [&hellip;]</p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/amazon-the-advertising-behemoth/">Amazon, the advertising behemoth</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com">Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert</a>.</p>


Amazon reported $12.8BN in advertising revenue in Q2 2024. At 20%, Amazon's advertising revenue growth in the quarter was nearly double the growth of its net sales -- this ratio has remained fairly consistent over the past few quarters. As a result, advertising revenue as a proportion of Amazon's total net sales has consistently grown […]
This content is only available to subscribers. If you are already a subscriber, please log in to view this content. If you are not a subscriber, subscriptions start at just $8.99 per month.
The post Amazon, the advertising behemoth appeared first on Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert.

Amazon reported $12.8BN in advertising revenue in Q2 2024. At 20%, Amazon's advertising revenue growth in the quarter was nearly double the growth of its net sales -- this ratio has remained fairly consistent over the past few quarters. As a result, advertising revenue as a proportion of Amazon's total net sales has consistently grown […]
The post Amazon, the advertising behemoth appeared first on Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert.

Amazon, the advertising behemoth

<p>In this episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast, I speak with Rob Leathern, a trust and safety and business integrity executive, on the potential use of AI by bad actors to perpetrate scams and other forms of abuse on social media. Among other things, we discuss: Thanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/podcast-ais-impact-on-social-media-abuse-with-rob-leathern/">Podcast: AI&#8217;s impact on social media abuse (with Rob Leathern)</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com">Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert</a>.</p>



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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom.png"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="538" data-attachment-id="41654" data-permalink="https://mobiledevmemo.com/mdm_social_share-photoroom/" data-orig-file="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom.png" data-orig-size="1200,630" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom-300x158.png" data-large-file="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom-1024x538.png" tabindex="0" role="button" data-id="41654" src="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom-1024x538.png" alt="" class="wp-image-41654" srcset="https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom-1024x538.png 1024w, https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom-300x158.png 300w, https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom-768x403.png 768w, https://mobiledevmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MDM_social_share-PhotoRoom.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
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<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<span class="0Qk6easjSYAHhUdNJTAmtgWRfRLIjn36zktmWV0FQqI59fKnrOBsOLP1ixg3yoBYSxv"><iframe title="Spotify Embed: Season 3, Episode 27: AI&amp;apos;s impact on social media abuse (with Rob Leathern)" style="border-radius: 12px" width="100%" height="152" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/43AKGaGN5r2RGKRGQlBNoZ?si=ec6f4d9608bb47d9&#038;utm_source=oembed"></iframe></span>
</div></figure>



<p>In this episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast, I speak with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/leathern/">Rob Leathern</a>, a trust and safety and business integrity executive, on the potential use of AI by bad actors to perpetrate scams and other forms of abuse on social media. Among other things, we discuss:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>The role of a business integrity function at a large technology company;</li>



<li>How proactive these teams can be to new and emergent threats;</li>



<li>The ways in which privacy vulnerabilities are exploited for monetary gain by malicious actors;</li>



<li>How AI changes the threat landscape for things like business integrity, trust and safety, and privacy;</li>



<li>How AI empowers large consumer platforms to fight malicious actors;</li>



<li>Non-obvious threat vectors for consumer privacy.</li>
</ul>



<p>Thanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://www.incrmntal.com/"><strong>INCRMNTAL</strong>⁠⁠</a>. True attribution measures incrementality, always on.</li>



<li><strong><a href="https://rockerbox.com/maze">Rockerbox</a></strong>. Get the clarity your&nbsp;marketing&nbsp;needs and navigate your way to success with&nbsp;Rockerbox. Visit&nbsp;<a href="http://rockerbox.com/maze" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rockerbox.com/maze</a>&nbsp;today to see what it’s all about.</li>
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<p>Interested in sponsoring the Mobile Dev Memo podcast? Contact&nbsp;<a href="mailto:info@marketecture.tv">⁠Marketecture⁠</a>.</p>



<p>The Mobile Dev Memo podcast is available on:</p>



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<li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mobile-dev-memo-podcast/id1423753783" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Apple Podcasts</a></li>



<li><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0RCsc3OW1p9jH5YC0qQTp0?si=jgSk98sURta7aWBpjkTpXg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Spotify</a></li>



<li><a href="https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy80NTM2OWE4L3BvZGNhc3QvcnNz" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Google Podcasts</a></li>
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<p>The post <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/podcast-ais-impact-on-social-media-abuse-with-rob-leathern/">Podcast: AI&#8217;s impact on social media abuse (with Rob Leathern)</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com">Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert</a>.</p>


In this episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast, I speak with Rob Leathern, a trust and safety and business integrity executive, on the potential use of AI by bad actors to perpetrate scams and other forms of abuse on social media. Among other things, we discuss:
The role of a business integrity function at a large technology company;
How proactive these teams can be to new and emergent threats;
The ways in which privacy vulnerabilities are exploited for monetary gain by malicious actors;
How AI changes the threat landscape for things like business integrity, trust and safety, and privacy;
How AI empowers large consumer platforms to fight malicious actors;
Non-obvious threat vectors for consumer privacy.
Thanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast:
INCRMNTAL⁠⁠. True attribution measures incrementality, always on.
Rockerbox. Get the clarity your marketing needs and navigate your way to success with Rockerbox. Visit rockerbox.com/maze today to see what it’s all about.
Interested in sponsoring the Mobile Dev Memo podcast? Contact ⁠Marketecture⁠.
The Mobile Dev Memo podcast is available on:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Google Podcasts
The post Podcast: AI’s impact on social media abuse (with Rob Leathern) appeared first on Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert.

In this episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast, I speak with Rob Leathern, a trust and safety and business integrity executive, on the potential use of AI by bad actors to perpetrate scams and other forms of abuse on social media. Among other things, we discuss: Thanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode […]
The post Podcast: AI’s impact on social media abuse (with Rob Leathern) appeared first on Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert.

Podcast: AI’s impact on social media abuse (with Rob Leathern)

<p>Perplexity, the AI-powered "answer engine" that responds to user queries with natural language summaries, will introduce an advertising product in Q4 of this year, Digiday reports: (emphasis mine) A new advertiser pitch deck shows how the AI search startup hopes to win over advertiser later this year as it works to set itself apart from [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/perplexity-introduces-advertising-exploring-the-ai-search-incentive-problem/">Perplexity introduces advertising; exploring the AI-search incentive problem</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com">Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert</a>.</p>


<div class="mp_wrapper">
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    <p>Perplexity, the AI-powered "answer engine" that responds to user queries with natural language summaries, will introduce an advertising product in Q4 of this year, Digiday reports: (emphasis mine) A new advertiser pitch deck shows how the AI search startup hopes to win over advertiser later this year as it works to set itself apart from [&hellip;]</p>
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    <p>This content is only available to <a href="/subscribe">subscribers</a>. If you are already a subscriber, please <a href="/login"><strong>log in</strong></a> to view this content. If you are not a subscriber, subscriptions start at just $8.99 per month.</p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/perplexity-introduces-advertising-exploring-the-ai-search-incentive-problem/">Perplexity introduces advertising; exploring the AI-search incentive problem</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com">Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert</a>.</p>


Perplexity, the AI-powered "answer engine" that responds to user queries with natural language summaries, will introduce an advertising product in Q4 of this year, Digiday reports: (emphasis mine) A new advertiser pitch deck shows how the AI search startup hopes to win over advertiser later this year as it works to set itself apart from […]
This content is only available to subscribers. If you are already a subscriber, please log in to view this content. If you are not a subscriber, subscriptions start at just $8.99 per month.
The post Perplexity introduces advertising; exploring the AI-search incentive problem appeared first on Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert.

Perplexity, the AI-powered "answer engine" that responds to user queries with natural language summaries, will introduce an advertising product in Q4 of this year, Digiday reports: (emphasis mine) A new advertiser pitch deck shows how the AI search startup hopes to win over advertiser later this year as it works to set itself apart from […]
The post Perplexity introduces advertising; exploring the AI-search incentive problem appeared first on Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert.

Perplexity introduces advertising; exploring the AI-search incentive problem

<p>Last week, Meta announced three meaningful upcoming additions to its advertising platform: incrementality-based conversion optimization, native integrations with third-party analytics tools, and a new Conversion Value Rules feature that allows audience segments to be valued and targeted independently within the same campaign. From the blog post (emphasis mine): On Conversion Value Rules: In addition, we [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/understanding-metas-introduction-of-incrementality-optimization/">Meta&#8217;s shift to incrementality optimization</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com">Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert</a>.</p>


<div class="mp_wrapper">
  <div class="mepr-unauthorized-excerpt">
    <p>Last week, Meta announced three meaningful upcoming additions to its advertising platform: incrementality-based conversion optimization, native integrations with third-party analytics tools, and a new Conversion Value Rules feature that allows audience segments to be valued and targeted independently within the same campaign. From the blog post (emphasis mine): On Conversion Value Rules: In addition, we [&hellip;]</p>
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  <div class="mepr-unauthorized-message">
    <p>This content is only available to <a href="/subscribe">subscribers</a>. If you are already a subscriber, please <a href="/login"><strong>log in</strong></a> to view this content. If you are not a subscriber, subscriptions start at just $8.99 per month.</p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com/understanding-metas-introduction-of-incrementality-optimization/">Meta&#8217;s shift to incrementality optimization</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mobiledevmemo.com">Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert</a>.</p>


Last week, Meta announced three meaningful upcoming additions to its advertising platform: incrementality-based conversion optimization, native integrations with third-party analytics tools, and a new Conversion Value Rules feature that allows audience segments to be valued and targeted independently within the same campaign. From the blog post (emphasis mine): On Conversion Value Rules: In addition, we […]
This content is only available to subscribers. If you are already a subscriber, please log in to view this content. If you are not a subscriber, subscriptions start at just $8.99 per month.
The post Meta’s shift to incrementality optimization appeared first on Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert.

Last week, Meta announced three meaningful upcoming additions to its advertising platform: incrementality-based conversion optimization, native integrations with third-party analytics tools, and a new Conversion Value Rules feature that allows audience segments to be valued and targeted independently within the same campaign. From the blog post (emphasis mine): On Conversion Value Rules: In addition, we […]
The post Meta’s shift to incrementality optimization appeared first on Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert.