Stakeholder
Accountability
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Social media companies have lines of accountability to a number of different stakeholders, which come with certain expectations and contractual obligations.
To what extent are companies meeting these obligations as they relate to their monetization programs and activities? Do stakeholders have access to the data and information they need to make informed decisions and enforce their rights?
Advertisers
(refers to all actors that sign on to advertising terms and pay a platform to run ads / boost content)
Expectation: Brand Safety & Suitability
- Does the overall ad inventory align with the quality of ad placements communicated to advertisers?
- Is the ad buying process audited or certified by third parties? Who are the third parties involved?
- What happens to the ad revenue generated before an ad placement is identified as inadequate?
- Did they (as an advertiser) pay for specific ad placements which did not meet the industry brand safety floor?
- Did they pay for specific ad placements which did not match their specified brand suitability choices?
- Did they pay for specific ad placements which led to illegal actors or activity receiving a revenue?
- Are they able to access adequate compensation for defective ad placements? Can they request a refund?
Publishers
(refers to all actors that sign on to monetization terms and monetize their content on a platform)
Expectation: Income Predictability
- Do publishers have a sufficient understanding of the company’s approach to payout calculation?
- Is the publisher payout calculation a fair reflection of the financial value that the platform derives from publisher content?
- Was their brand (as a publisher) flagged on any blocklist?
- Was their payout impacted by unjustified restrictions?
- Was their payout accurately calculated?
- Are they able to access adequate compensation for financial losses attributable to platforms’ own errors?
Expectation: Brand Safety & Suitability
- Does the overall ad pool align with the quality of ad content communicated to publishers?
- Is the ad placement process audited and certified by third parties? Who are the third parties involved?
- What happens to the revenue generated before an ad placement is identified as inadequate?
- Was their brand (as a publisher) associated with specific ads that did not meet the industry brand safety floor?
- Was their brand associated with specific ads that did not match their specified brand suitability choices?
- Was their brand associated with specific ads that came from illegal actors or were part of an illegal campaign?
- Are they able to access adequate compensation for defective ad displays?
Users
(refers to all actors that sign on to term of services and operate an account on a platform)
Expectation: Consent
- Can they (as a user) opt out of ads being run on their content or dedicated presence on the platform?
- Is their account being monetized without their knowledge or consent?
Expectation: Equity
- Is their content subject to the same content moderation and recommendation rules and processes as content from monetized actors?
Expectation: Safety
- Are they being exposed to illegal and harmful content and activity, by actors whose primary purpose is to monetize from platforms?
- Are their copyright or trademark being infringed by actors seeking to monetize it?
- Was their account hacked or compromised by actors whose agenda was to monetize it?
Shareholders
(refers to all actors who own shares of the company)
Expectation: Good Governance
- Is the company losing value in relation to monetization-related risks which could have been avoided?
- Is the company facing monetization-related expenses (legal fees, fines, compensations, PR costs) which could have been avoided?
Expectation: Risk Anticipation
- Do they (as a shareholder) have a sufficient understanding of the company’s financial reliance on monetization partners?
- Do they have a sufficient understanding of the risks associated with the company’s engagement in monetization?
- Do they have a sufficient understanding of the company’s governance approach to monetization?