Data

Brazil's data watchdog adds child protection to enforcement agenda

ANPD approves priority enforcement map including child safety online following Digital Statute passage while postponing consent rules and governance frameworks.

Data

Belgian data watchdog targets adtech with sweeping enforcement strategy

Belgium's privacy regulator is shifting enforcement resources toward large-scale advertising technology platforms and data brokers under a strategic plan announced December 23, 2025 that fundamentally reshapes how the authority approaches data protection.

Display

OpenX integrates Amazon's machine learning to filter low-value impressions

OpenX enhanced its traffic optimization using Amazon Ads' Dynamic Traffic Engine to route higher-quality impressions to Amazon DSP through automated signals.

Data

France slashes Amazon's GDPR fine from €32M to €15M over warehouse monitoring

French Council of State reduces Amazon France Logistique's €32 million GDPR penalty to €15 million, finding some employee monitoring systems legally justified under European data protection rules.

Data

McDonald's hit with class action over McRib's missing rib meat

Four consumers claim fast-food chain misled millions by naming sandwich after meat it doesn't contain, seeking damages across multiple states.

Social

Meta Ads Library adds WhatsApp filter and low impression labels

Meta Ads Library introduced WhatsApp platform filtering and low impression count labels, enhancing competitive research capabilities for digital advertisers.

Search

News publishers lose half their Google search traffic in two years

Google Web Search traffic to news publishers declined from 51% to 27% between 2023-2025 while Discover feed climbed to 68%, creating volatility for content creators.

Data

Google slashes audience targeting thresholds to 100 users across all networks

Google reduced minimum audience size requirements to 100 active users across Search, Display, and YouTube networks for all segment types, marking a substantial expansion of remarketing accessibility for smaller advertisers.

Data

Europe's Data Act reshapes connected device rules for marketers

European Data Act establishes data sharing obligations for connected devices and cloud services starting September 2025, affecting digital advertisers' access to IoT data.

Social

Anonym brings privacy-protected measurement to Pinterest advertisers

Mozilla-owned Anonym partnered with Pinterest to enable brands to measure campaign performance using tightly governed first-party data through encrypted infrastructure.

Social

TikTok users are complaining about search

TikTok search quality has deteriorated significantly according to user complaints across Reddit and industry reports, raising questions about the platform's viability as Gen Z's preferred search engine despite 57% of users searching on the app.

Data

Apple bends to Japan's competition law with app store and payment changes

Apple announces iOS changes for Japan on December 17, introducing alternative marketplaces and payment options to comply with MSCA regulations affecting developers.

Data

Italy fines Apple €98.6 million for making developers ask users twice

Italian regulator rules Apple's App Tracking Transparency policy forces unfair double consent on third-party developers while benefiting its own ads.

AI

Microsoft bets on AI to rewrite Windows after code it wrote broke the OS

Microsoft plans to eliminate C and C++ code by 2030 using AI after admitting months of Windows 11 malfunctions caused by components that started failing in July 2025.

Retail

Banks profit six times their costs as merchants absorb 50% of debit fraud

Federal Reserve data shows banks earning $0.24 on $0.041 costs while merchants absorbed 49.9% of debit card fraud in 2023, up from 38.3% in 2011, as industry resists fee updates.

AI

Google buys Intersect for $4.75B to solve AI's power crisis

Alphabet acquires Intersect for $4.75 billion in cash to accelerate data center energy capacity. Deal includes multiple gigawatts of projects under construction.

AI

Google delays Gemini's complete takeover of Assistant until 2026

Google pushes Gemini's full replacement of Assistant into 2026 after announcing 2025 completion. The transition affects millions of mobile users and smart devices.

AI

Google quietly expands AI Overview ads to 11 countries without fanfare

Google expanded AI Overview ads to Australia, Canada, India and 8 more countries on December 19, targeting English speakers with text and shopping ads.

Search

Google quietly kills Q&A for an AI button most won't use

Google replaces Business Profile Q&A with AI-powered Ask feature, completing a systematic dismantling of customer interaction tools that began with chat removal in 2024.

AI

IAS Agent promises instant campaign insights without the AI black box

Integral Ad Science launches AI assistant with explainable recommendations for brand safety and campaign optimization, rolling out free in Q1 2026.

Retail

Credit cards now dominate as shoppers plan record holiday spending

TransUnion Q4 2025 study shows 42% of Americans will rely on credit cards for holiday purchases, up from 38% last year, as 58% plan to spend over $250 despite inflation.

AI

Brands can now track and influence what AI says about them

impact.com partners with Evertune to integrate AI Brand Monitoring into performance marketing platform, enabling brands to measure and optimize visibility across ChatGPT, Gemini, and other large language models.

AI

Gemini now serves local results from Google Maps in visual format

Google's Gemini AI assistant integrates Maps data with photos and ratings directly in conversational interfaces starting December 13, 2025.

Data

Your dating app activity is TikTok's business now

Privacy advocates filed two GDPR complaints against TikTok on December 9, exposing systematic tracking across mobile apps including Grindr, incomplete data access responses, and potential violations involving sexual orientation data worth up to €530 million in fines.

AI

ChatGPT holds two-thirds market share as Gemini and Grok gain ground

ChatGPT maintains commanding lead in U.S. AI chatbot traffic with 66% share while Google Gemini climbs rankings and X's Grok enters top 10 despite declining visits.