Advertising Community Heads to the White House to Talk Big Data and Privacy

GroupM's John Montgomery is headed for the White House on March 13 along with about 20 others in the Internet advertising business, including Dick O'Brien of the 4A's and the IAB's Mike Zaneis, to talk about big data and privacy issues.

The meeting is one of a series set up by White House advisor John Podesta, who was tasked by President Barack Obama with conducting a comprehensive review of big data and privacy in the wake of the growing controversy over government surveillance.

"I'm looking at this meeting positively," said Montgomery, GroupM's chief operating officer and chairman of the 4A's media policy committee. "I'm hoping they are [going] to listen to how data is being collected for advertising and how it helps us make decisions and spur economic growth. We'll also emphasize how the ad choices program has helped us treat privacy, that we do it responsibly and have put protections in place."