The Monopoly Report

Keith Petry, SVP of Data and Identity at Viant, and Scott Messer of Messer Media and host of Ad Tech Therapy join Alan Chapell. They explore Google’s ad tech remedies, publisher economics, industry standards, AI’s impact on content, third-party cookies, measurement, and why stronger collective action may be critical to the future of the open web.

The Chapell Regulatory Insider can be found at: https://chapellreport.substack.com/

- Industry standards only matter when buyers actively adopt them.

- Premium publisher inventory needs clearer economic recognition.

- Publishers need to rethink how they create, distribute, and monetize IP.

- AI is increasing pressure on publishers to protect original content.

- Google’s ad tech remedies could create more vendor choice, but change may be gradual.

- Third-party cookies and identity remain important to measurement and the open web. 

Chapters:

00:29 Welcome to The Monopoly Report

01:13 Google, Publishing, Privacy and Identity

02:12 Keith Petry, SVP of Data and Identity at Viant

03:07 What Google’s Ad Tech Remedies Could Mean

04:11 What the Industry Needs From Trade Associations

06:12 Standards, Agentic Buying and Business Outcomes

07:02 The Future of Publisher Economics

09:20 Viant and the Future of Third-Party Cookies

10:58 Scott Messer on Publishers, AI and Ad Tech

11:40 What Gives Publishers Hope

12:31 Rethinking What It Means to Be a Publisher

14:03 Google’s Ad Tech Remedies and Publisher Choice

15:01 Why Trade Groups Need Stronger Collective Action

17:43 Content Marketplaces and AI Licensing

19:44 Protecting Publishers From AI Content Extraction

20:12 Google Search, Licensing and Model Dehydration

21:47 Why Publishers Need Coordinated Action

23:04 Will Third-Party Cookies Survive?

25:19 Apple ATT and the Future of Measurement

27:08 Key Lessons for Ad Tech and Publishers

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Alan Chapell speaks with Dr. Johnny Ryan, Director of ENFORCE at the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, about GDPR enforcement, real-time bidding, purpose limitation, publisher economics, and the growing power of major technology platforms. Johnny is a long-time critic of programmatic advertising - having characterized real-time bidding as “The biggest data breach in history.” Chapell and Ryan explore whether privacy-friendly advertising can support publishers, the costs of fraud and ad tech intermediaries, and what Europe’s regulatory approach means for the future of digital advertising.

The Chapell Regulatory Insider can be found at: https://chapellreport.substack.com/

Takeaways:

• Weak enforcement has limited GDPR’s practical impact on the digital advertising industry.
• Purpose limitation and data minimization could reduce privacy risks while still supporting advertising.
• Reducing behavioral tracking may help publishers limit fraud and unnecessary ad tech costs.
• Greater transparency is needed around digital advertising measurement and platform data practices.
• Europe’s digital sovereignty depends partly on stronger enforcement, competition policy, and alternatives to dominant technology platforms.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction: GDPR, Privacy and Ad Tech
03:10 Dr. Johnny Ryan’s Journey Into Privacy and Ad Tech
06:03 GDPR and Europe’s Enforcement Problem
11:42 Consent and the European Privacy Framework
13:42 Can Advertising Work With Less Personal Data?
17:30 Publisher Economics and Contextual Advertising
21:09 The Challenge of ID-Less Advertising
23:31 Advertisers, Measurement and Ad Tech Transparency
27:11 Purpose Limitation and Platform Power
36:35 Data Ownership, Privacy and Competition
40:07 Europe’s Digital Sovereignty and Big Tech
46:04 What Should Ad Tech Companies Do Next?
48:30 Tracking, Fraud and Publisher Revenue
53:33 Lessons From Dr. Ryan’s Career
55:07 Alan’s Key Takeaways and Closing Analysis

Guests: Alan Chapell

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Claire Stapleton joins Alan Chapell to discuss her years inside Google, from shaping the company’s internal communications to helping organize the 2018 Google walkout. They explore the following from multiple perspectives: Google’s “Don’t Be Evil” philosophy, employee activism, corporate messaging, the limits of worker dissent, and what Claire calls “PR jujitsu” and what Alan characterizes as “Regulatory jujitsu.” Alan and Claire compare notes as between Google’s approach to addressing internal consent, to the company’s approach to managing dissent within the broader digital media industry and within standards bodies. Drawing heavily from Claire’s book Don't Be Evil: Bad Bosses, Fake Promises, and My Escape from Big Tech.the conversation also examines how money, power, and institutional influence can reshape corporate values, plus why employees should build an identity and sense of purpose beyond their jobs.

Don’t Be Evil by Claire Stapleton can be purchased at https://tinyurl.com/5n7kkhv3.
Yield by Ari Paparo can be purchased at https://tinyurl.com/msfdwrry.
The Chapell Regulatory Insider can be found at: https://chapellreport.substack.com/

Takeaways:

• Google’s early culture built a powerful internal story around openness, innovation, and doing good.
• The 2018 Google walkout exposed the limits of employee voice and internal dissent.
• “PR jujitsu” can acknowledge criticism without committing to meaningful change.
• Vague principles like “Don’t Be Evil” leave significant room for companies to define their own standards.
• Power and wealth can insulate executives from ordinary feedback and criticism.
• Employees should avoid making their corporate identity their entire source of self-worth and purpose.

Chapters:
00:29 Welcome and Introduction
00:53 Meet Claire Stapleton
01:11 The 2018 Google Walkout
04:49 Claire’s Early Years at Google
08:09 When Google’s Story Started to Crack
10:08 The Road to Employee Activism
16:06 Google’s Strategy, Power and Privacy
18:19 Article 13 and the Limits of Employee Voice
25:32 What “Don’t Be Evil” Really Meant
30:03 When Google’s Culture Began to Change
32:38 Google’s “PR Jujitsu” Playbook
35:18 Alan’s Experience With Google’s Influence
40:33 Money, Power and Executive Insulation
44:48 Claire’s Advice to Her Younger Self
50:22 Alan’s Key Takeaways
55:01 Closing

Guests: Alan Chapell

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Marc Guldimann, founder and CEO of Adelaide, joins Alan Chapell to discuss why attribution may be solving the wrong problem, how AU measures media quality, and whether attention can become a true currency for digital advertising.

The Chapell Regulatory Insider can be found at: https://chapellreport.substack.com/

Takeaways

• Attribution may be a symptom of poor media-quality signals.
• AU measures the probability of attention and outcomes.
• Adelaide wants AU to become a shared media-quality currency.
• Publisher audits could reduce reliance on impression-level tracking.
• AI-driven media buying will need reliable quality signals.
• Shared quality standards could reshape how digital media is bought and priced.

Chapters
00:00 Marc Guldimann’s Background
05:45 Why Viewability Gets Gamed
07:54 The Problem With Attention Duration
10:50 Can AU Replace Viewability?
15:06 How Adelaide Builds AU
20:13 Adelaide’s Publisher Strategy
23:35 AI Agents & Media Quality
27:37 Browsers, Privacy & Tracking
31:55 Are Outcomes the Real Currency?
34:41 Private vs. Shared Measurement
38:16 Closing

Guests: Alan Chapell

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Thirteen months of Google's search data is worth roughly seventeen years of Bing's. That single number explains why Google's search business is now under pressure from four directions at once—the DOJ's antitrust remedy, the EU's Digital Markets Act, the UK's CMA, and the proposed US SEARCH Act. Now that Google is required to share its search data with competitors, the question turns to whether such sharing can be done in a way that is privacy safe. Do PETs offer a solution? Is this simply a place where privacy interests and competition interests are perpetually at odds? Is this simply another opportunity for Google to delay? Alan Chapell sits down with Alissa Cooper of the KGI to discuss the DOJ search remedies, the EU Digital Markets Act, privacy, AI, and what search data sharing could mean for competition and innovation

Alissa Cooper’s bio can be found at: https://kgi.georgetown.edu/people/alissa-cooper/ 

The Chapell Regulatory Insider can be found at: https://chapellreport.substack.com/

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

03:24 Why Google Must Share Search Data

08:35 Comparing Global Regulations

16:06 What Search Data Includes

19:34 Privacy Concerns

32:20 Independent Oversight

43:00 Final Takeaways

50:05 Closing Remarks

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Is self-regulation still relevant in today's privacy-first advertising landscape? Alan Chapell sits down with Andy Dale, General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer at OpenAP, to discuss the future of industry self-regulation, AI governance, privacy laws, and what ad tech organizations must do to remain valuable as regulation evolves.

The Chapell Regulatory Insider may be found at https://chapellreport.substack.com/

The Data Protection Breakfast Club podcast may be found at https://rephonic.com/podcasts/data-protection-breakfast-club

Takeaways:

- Why self-regulation in ad tech needs to evolve beyond traditional compliance.

- How AI governance, privacy laws, and managed services are reshaping the industry.

- The future role of trade associations in supporting advertisers and ad tech companies.

- Why collaboration and practical guidance may matter more than ever.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

00:34 Meet Andy Dale, General Counsel & Chief Privacy Officer at OpenAP

02:54 Is self-regulation still relevant?

06:08 Why now is the time to rethink industry organizations

07:36 Privacy laws vs. self-regulation

10:18 What advertisers need today

13:12 The future of industry collaboration

19:17 The three pillars: Advocacy, Standards & Compliance

22:11 How best practices should evolve

28:50 Managed services and privacy support

32:04 AI governance and the next opportunity

33:18 Does the DAA still matter?

37:25 Industry partnerships and consolidation

44:20 The future value of trade associations

46:03 Final thoughts

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Alan Chapell speaks with Martin Thomson, Distinguished Engineer at Mozilla, about the W3C Attribution API, browser-based measurement, privacy-enhancing technologies, interoperability, fraud, and the future of advertising attribution. They examine the tradeoffs between privacy, competition, and ad measurement.

The Attribution API spec may be found here: https://github.com/w3c/attribution
The Chapell Regulatory Insider may be found here: https://chapellreport.substack.com/
A Written Q&A between Alan and Martin may be found here:

Takeaways

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:26 Meet Martin Thomson of Mozilla
06:04 What is the W3C Attribution API?
10:57 Transparency and trust in browser measurement
14:32 Privacy Sandbox and what remains
16:07 Differential privacy explained
18:37 Interoperability vs. user privacy
23:27 Attribution, incrementality, and measurement challenges
27:35 The future of measurement partners
31:56 Fraud, attribution, and Google's role
37:20 Designing standards for the future web
41:20 Alan Chapell's key takeaways and analysis
45:54 Closing remarks

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Alan Chapell sits down with Cindy Cohn, former Executive Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and author of Privacy’s Defender. They discuss the landmark Bernstein encryption case, the Snowden revelations, surveillance, behavioral advertising, privacy regulation, competition law, some lessons for companies in the ads space, and the future of digital rights in an increasingly monitored world. 

Privacy’s Defender is available at: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262051248/privacys-defender/

Can Privacy Technologies Replace Cookies? Ad Revenue in a Field Experiment is available at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5284526 

The Chapell Regulatory Insider is available at: https://chapellreport.substack.com/

Takeaways

Cindy Cohn reflects on her role in the landmark Bernstein case that helped establish encryption as protected speech.

The conversation explores how the Snowden disclosures exposed mass government surveillance and reshaped privacy debates.

Privacy, competition, copyright, and technology policy are deeply interconnected and require a multi-pronged approach.

Both guests agree that many privacy regulations unintentionally burden smaller companies while reinforcing Big Tech dominance.

Behavioral advertising, surveillance pricing, and data-driven discrimination pose growing risks to consumers.

Cohn argues that privacy rights must be continuously defended and that the next generation has a critical role to play.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Cindy Cohn and Privacy’s Defender

03:57 The Bernstein Case and the Fight for Encryption Rights

06:10 Human Rights Law as a Foundation for Privacy Advocacy

08:23 How an Early Court Victory Shaped a Career

13:22 The NSA, AT&T, and the Snowden Revelations

20:46 Centralized Power, Internet Architecture, and Digital Freedom

25:07 Privacy Regulation, the FCC, and the FTC Debate

29:19 Private Rights of Action and Privacy Enforcement

31:54 Behavioral Advertising vs. Contextual Advertising

35:20 Surveillance Pricing and Consumer Fairness

39:33 Competition Law, Big Tech, and Regulatory Capture

41:10 Why Privacy Is a Team Sport

45:02 Music, Community, and Avoiding Burnout

48:26 Key Lessons from the Conversation

53:08 Surveillance Pricing, AI, and Future Risks

54:06 The Growing Number of Privacy Choke Points

55:11 Final Thoughts and Book Recommendation

Guests: Alan Chapell

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At the NAI Summit 2026, Tony Ficarrotta, VP and General Counsel of the NAI, sat down with Tom Kemp, Executive Director of CalPrivacy, for an in-depth discussion on the California Delete Act, the DROP platform, data broker regulation, opt-out preference signals, privacy enforcement, and the future of federal privacy legislation.

They explore how California is making privacy rights easier to exercise for consumers, the challenges of balancing innovation with consumer protection, and what businesses should expect from the next wave of privacy regulation.

More info on the NAI at https://thenai.org/

More info on CalPrivacy at https://privacy.ca.gov/about-us/

More info on the Chapell Regulatory Insider at https://chapellreport.substack.com/

Takeaways

Chapters
00:00 Introduction & Special NAI Summit Interview
01:38 Meet Tom Kemp: From Entrepreneur to CalPrivacy Director
08:49 Why Tom Kemp Wrote His Book on Big Tech & Privacy
14:01 Why Privacy Matters and the Risks of Personal Data Misuse
18:32 What Makes CalPrivacy Different From Other Regulators?
24:30 California Privacy Legislation and Current Policy Priorities
29:22 AB 1542 and the Debate Over Sensitive Data Sales
36:38 Expanding the Delete Act Beyond California
40:28 Federal Privacy Law and the Secure Data Act Debate
46:39 Opt-Out Preference Signals and Consumer Choice at Scale
57:03 Privacy Regulation, Competition, and Browser Influence
01:02:08 The Future of California Privacy Regulation
01:04:23 Building CalPrivacy’s Next Chapter
01:07:54 Closing Remarks & Preview of Next Episode

Guests: Alan Chapell

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices