April 15, 2026

Alan Chapell’s Fireside chat with FTC Commissioner Meador

29 minutes

The Monopoly Report’s Alan Chapell sits down with FTC Commissioner Mark Meador at Marketecture Live to discuss industry privacy self-regulation, the future of the cookie opt-outs, the use of privacy as an anticompetitive pretext, and some ideas for better protecting kids online.

Takeaways

Self-regulation still matters, but must be effective and avoid collusion risks.

Privacy and competition often exist in tension and require balance.

Cookie-based systems are imperfect and depend on better alternatives emerging.

Risks around using privacy as a pretext to lock up the browser market or access to critical data.

Transparency is key for both consumer protection and fair competition.

Age verification is advancing rapidly with privacy-conscious innovation.

“Free” platforms still involve economic transactions and consumer trade-offs.

Antitrust enforcement is shifting toward tackling dominant players’ conduct.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and role of self-regulation in advertising

00:41 Why self-regulation still matters and how it should work

02:27 What makes self-reg effective in the eyes of the FTC

04:12 The limitations of cookie-based privacy tools

06:03 Global privacy controls and market-driven solutions

08:38 Balancing privacy and competition in digital markets

10:33 Protecting children online and age verification innovation

14:29 Solving privacy concerns in age verification systems

15:38 Why universal identity checks are not the goal

18:06 Measuring harm in “free” digital platforms

20:25 Current state of antitrust enforcement

23:07 Addressing monopolies after consolidation has occurred

25:28 Rethinking antitrust and the risks of concentrated power

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By Alan Chapell

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