iab

A revision of EU privacy law could have a devastating effect on online advertising.

Under the new rules publishers must gain users' consent before placing cookies on their machines. Online ad practises like behavioural targeting, retargeting and audience segmentation will all be effected.

The change will see national governments having to:

"ensure that the storing of information, or the gaining of access to information already stored, in the terminal equipment of a subscriber or user is only allowed on condition that the subscriber or user concerned has given his/her consent, having been provided with clear and comprehensive information."

The EU are objecting to online advertisers collecting data without the users' knowledge. Common practice is to make users aware of cookie use through privacy policies posted in their small print. With ever-improving behavioural and semantic targeting relying on cookies, the EU's threats to step in if the industry doesn't regulate itself will raise concerns at publishers in an already-difficult advertising market. The gloves, it appears, are most definitely off.

The benefits of having an intern are numerous. It’s not just cheap labour and someone to make the tea.

Many organisations are reaping the rewards that come with an internship and a skilled graduate.

It was a case of unknown territory when Chinwag took on Gregory, our first tech intern. It took time and effort to get him started, but the investment paid off and the work he did was invaluable.

So, in the sprit of this, we’ve created a series of blog posts, from an employer's perspective, that aim to cover everything you need to know about offering an internship.

Figures released from the Internet Advertising Bureau’s (IAB) bi-annual online advertising expenditure study, carried out in partnership with Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) and the World Advertising Research Centre (WARC), makes for enlightening reading.

For the first time in the UK the internet has surpassed TV to become the single biggest advertising medium in the country.

Online adversiting spend overtook TV to become the UK's biggest advertising medium in the first half of 2009. It grew 4.6%, to £1.75 bn in H1, giving it a record market share of 23.5%.

Even as advertising experienced a 16.6% decline overall, online's ability to engage audiences, its measurability and a sturdy ROI is keeping the sector above water, where TV and other mediums have floundered and sunk.