When you buy a digital ad through something like Google, it usually gets placed on a website. But you don't get to choose which websites it goes on. Who does? The ad tech industry. Which is not a problem, until you discover that they're running your ad for your precious brand on a site that promotes disinformation, racism, hate or even treason. 

So how do you stop that from happening? That's what Claire Atkin and her partner Nandini Jammi are trying to figure out, through their work at their Check My Ads Institute. Together they're taking on a ridiculously huge and largely unregulated industry to fight not only disinformation and hate but the rise of global authoritarianism. 

In this episode, Claire shares the incredible story of how they got started and have gone on to defund some of the biggest names in disinformation and hate speech, from Steve Bannon to Fox News. Simply by starting to ask questions and call out lies in public, they've started a movement that's garnered support from across the industry. They're also working hard to inform policy and best practices while pushing for more transparency about where client funds go and how they're used.

This is my new favourite episode and I'm grateful to Claire for sharing their work. If you'd like to support them, you can sign up to become a CheckMate at https://checkmyads.org/membership. And if you want to know more about how to protect your business, subscribe to their newsletter Branded to get behind-the-scenes stories the ad tech industry doesn’t want marketers to know.

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