episode n.2 Keep Personalization Fair - Consumer Empowerment Project

Keep Personalization Fair

Personalization is a transformative force that tailors experiences to individual preferences, significantly changing consumer engagement with products and services. While it offers immense value, such as personalized advertising, it also raises challenges related to consumer protection, including data privacy and algorithmic fairness. Balancing innovation with the safeguarding of individual rights is crucial. This second episode of the Digital Fairness Series aimed to explore whether the current regulatory framework effectively meets the evolving needs of digital consumers.

Bruxelles

16 July 2025

Event summary

An initiative in partnership with The Watcher Post.EU

What does fair personalization look like in a digital world shaped by algorithms, curated content, and data-driven services?

As personalization becomes a defining feature of how consumers discover content, engage with services, and navigate online environments, new questions are emerging about fairness, transparency, and the boundaries of responsible innovation.

To continue the dialogue initiated by our Digital Fairness Series, we hosted the second CLAx roundtable in Brussels, titled “Keep Personalization Fair: Balancing Innovation and Consumer Protection.” The session focused on how data-driven personalization can be designed in a way that empowers consumers while safeguarding their rights and autonomy.

Opening remarks were delivered by Luca Di Garbo, Head of Communications at the Consumer Empowerment Project, setting the stage for a timely and nuanced conversation. We were honored to welcome keynote speakers Aura Salla, MEP at the European Parliament, and Maria-Myrto Kanellopoulou, Head of Unit at DG JUST, European Commission. Both provided key insights into the regulatory landscape, highlighting existing frameworks and the EU’s ambitions for simplification, clarity, and stronger enforcement.

A rich roundtable discussion followed, moderated by Brandy Miller of The Watcher Post EU. Participants brought a wide range of industry, civil society, and institutional perspectives, including:
Mathilde Adjutor (Uber), Bojana Bellamy (Centre for Information Policy Leadership), Olivia Brown (Euroconsumers), Claudia Canelles Quaroni (CCIA Europe), Simone Gobello (Meta), Bárbara Lazarotto (Brussels Privacy Hub), Tasos Stampelos (Mozilla), Franck Thomas (IAB Europe), Lennart Wetzel (Snap), and Cecilia Zappalà (YouTube).

Together, they explored how businesses can personalize responsibly—balancing commercial innovation with regulatory compliance and ethical imperatives. Key themes included algorithmic accountability, the scope and limits of data use, and the need for transparency to ensure users are offered meaningful choices in personalized environments.

As the EU charts its path forward on digital fairness, events like these aim to bridge the gap between policy and practice—ensuring that personalization serves as a tool for empowerment, not exploitation.