Recently, as part of an effort to further improve our digital ecosystem, the Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG), announced a new voluntary advertising industry initiative from many of the world’s largest brand advertisers and agencies aimed at preventing their online ads from appearing on illicit websites that promote digital piracy. Advertisers signing the TAG anti-piracy pledge include major brands like Allstate, American Express, Colgate-Palmolive, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg’s, and Walmart. These and other leading brands and advertisers have committed to take meaningful steps to ensure that their digital ads stay off infringing sites. In doing so, they are cutting off the flow of advertising revenue to sites that profit from pirated content.
For those of us who care passionately about ensuring a vibrant, safe and secure Internet, it’s always great when voluntary solutions emerge that include diverse industry players. That is why CCI, a voluntary multi-stakeholder partnership itself, is glad to welcome another voluntary industry initiative that will begin this year. And while CCI’s mission is focused on consumer education and engagement, this announcement helps expand the solutions on the table and provides important recognition that it takes a broad community of players working together to develop trusted mechanisms aimed at ending digital piracy. Major brands like the ones who have committed to keep their ads off of infringing sites, help to reduce the validation that these illegal services receive from brand advertising. For consumers, it sends a powerful message that the brands they love and trust, won’t use their proceeds to advertise on illegitimate sites, but instead will help advance good digital citizenship that we can all be proud of.