UK February 3

The guardrails the ad industry erected to maintain its compliance with Europe’s wide-ranging data protection law aren’t able to actually do so, according to data protection watchdogs — led by the Belgium Data Protection Authority. The consequences of this ruling could throw a significant wrench in how data is collected — and who is responsible for fixing the issue. Read more below.

• Popups asking people for consent whenever they land on a site are illegal.
• Following the exit of prominent team members such as Ali “Myth” Kabbani in recent months, leading esports organization TSM has seen a sharp decline in its combined social media following.
• This week’s Digiday+ Media Briefing looks at the other measurement overhaul underway and why web publishers and TV networks may want to work together to establish cross-screen measurement.
• How one brand is investing in user-generated content to expand its TikTok footprint.
• With the in-game ad industry back in force, there are some lingering questions about what happened to Massive — and how today’s in-game ad industry might be different had it managed to stick it out.
• Research firm Vrity set out to prove there is actual business value to values-based advertising — and, according to its latest effort, it may have succeeded.

From our sister site, WorkLife:

• From Rolexes to botox to massage therapy, bosses are getting inventive about incentivizing employees.
• Increasingly companies that design and occupy office spaces are constructing tricked-out, tech-enabled outdoor spaces to enhance work lives and, as the pandemic drags on, the safety of their employees and guests.