Project Media Coverage
This page provides media coverage related to the Australian Ad Observatory project.
To join the project visit the main Australian Ad Observatory project page.
25 February | 360 info
‘Dark ads’ challenge truth and our democracy
The rise of “dark advertising,” powered by AI and targeting specific voter groups with misleading content, combined with Australia’s lack of truth-in-advertising legislation and weak oversight, leaves voters vulnerable to misinformation and undermines democracy, especially ahead of the 2025 federal election.
24 December 2024 | ABC News
Consumer advocates call for more regulation on household appliance ‘greenwashing’
Consumer advocates are urging the Australian government to introduce a system that rates the repairability and durability of appliances to help consumers make more informed, environmentally-friendly purchasing decisions and combat greenwashing.
21 November 2024 | ABC News
Alcohol companies’ digital marketing targets problem drinkers, research finds
Research finds that alcohol and gambling companies use personal data to target vulnerable individuals at risk of addiction with ads on social media, raising concerns about the impact of digital marketing and the need for better regulation.
18 November 2024 | UQ News
Facebook ads targeting people at risk of harm under scrutiny
Research reveals how alcohol and gambling companies target vulnerable individuals with personalized Facebook ads for addictive products, highlighting the need for greater regulation and accountability in digital advertising.
11 November 2024 | The Guardian
Vulnerable Australians ‘force-fed’ gambling and alcohol ads on Facebook, report finds
Study reveals that vulnerable Australians at high risk of gambling and alcohol problems are being repeatedly targeted with Facebook ads for these addictive products, raising concerns about the use of personal data for harmful marketing.
11 November 2024 | ABC Listen
Facebook targeting vulnerable people with gambling and alcohol advertising
ADM+S research has found that gambling and alcohol ads are being served up many times in a short period to people at high risk of gambling or alcohol-related harms.
11 November 2024 | FARE
Facebook, alcohol and gambling companies target ads at Australians most at risk of harm
New research unveils how Facebook targets people who are at risk of harm with alcohol and gambling advertising.
12 September 2024 | ABC News
20 August 2024 | ABC News
Dark marketing on social media platforms helping fuel the trade of potentially harmful products
20 August 2024 | ABC Triple J Hack
Dark marketing and why we are seeing more of it
14 August 2024 | ABC The Briefing
Unveiling The Secrets Behind Algorithms: “They Don’t Want To Expose The Workings”
Professor Daniel Angus discusses the challenges of understanding social media algorithms, highlighting their role in curating personalised content while also reinforcing biases, and emphasizes the secrecy around these algorithms due to concerns about bad publicity and minimising negative attention.
8 August 2024 | Croakey Health Media
Investigating the power of Big Tech: from a landmark judgement to changing research paradigms
A recent court ruling and research highlight the growing power of Big Tech companies like Google and Meta in shaping consumer behavior through “tuned” advertising, raising concerns about the impact of hyper-targeted marketing on vulnerable individuals, particularly regarding harmful products like alcohol and gambling.
6 August 2024 | The Conversation
Social media algorithms are shrouded in secrecy. We’re trying to change that
The Australian Internet Observatory aims to enhance understanding of social media algorithms and their societal impact through data donation and other research methods, while urging the government to pass legislation that compels social media platforms to provide essential data for independent, transparent research.
23 July 2024 | The Byte
Are the algorithms making men more sexist?
An experiment by The Guardian revealed how social media algorithms, without user interaction, served a fake male account misogynistic content, including sexist memes and images of scantily clad women, raising concerns about the toxic influences shaping young men’s digital environments.
12 July 2024 | The Conversation
Junk food is promoted online to appeal to kids and target young men, our study shows
A study using the Australian Ad Observatory found that unhealthy food ads are disproportionately targeted at children, parents, and young people, supporting calls for a ban on such advertising online to protect public health.
17 April 2024 | ABC News
Scammers are using a fake, AI-generated Dr Karl to sell health pills to Australians
As fake endorsements blur the line between fact and fiction, the big tech companies that accept advertising money from the scammers are under increasing pressure to take action.
6 February 2024 | The Pursuit
The Facebook trick online gambling is using to target Australians
New research has found some overseas online casinos are illegally targeting Australians using Facebook ads – and it’s a big problem.
18 January 2024 | AdNews
AANA releases draft code to fight greenwashing
The Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) has released an draft of a new Environmental Claims Code, following an extensive public review.
2 January 2024 | University of Melbourne Law School Media
Ban Corporate Greenwashing, urges report on social media ads
Businesses should be forced to be honest about their climate-friendly practices rather than free to make unsubstantiated claims, according to a new report that analysed nearly 9000 green claims in social media advertising.
1 December 2023 | The Conversation
Social media ads are littered with ‘green’ claims. How are we supposed to know they’re true?
Online platforms are awash with ads for so-called “green” products. Power companies are “carbon neutral”. Electronics are “for the planet”. Clothing is “circular” and travel is “sustainable”. Or are they?
1 December 2023 | ABC News
Consumers are increasingly considering the environmental impact of a product when making purchasing decisions, and marketers know it. But exactly how environmentally friendly are the goods you are buying? And how true are the big “green” claims advertisers are making in online ads?
1 December 2023 | ABC News
VIDEO: Research finds advertisers make ‘meaningless’ environmental claims
Professor Christine Parker says it can be almost impossible for consumers to get to the bottom of whether brands are ‘green’ or not.
1 December 2023 | ADM+S News
Call for stricter regulations on green claims in online advertising
Consumers are increasingly mindful of the environmental impact of a product when making purchasing decisions, and marketers know it. But how environmentally friendly are the goods you are buying? And how accurate are the “green” claims being made by advertisers in online ads?
18 November 2023 | ABC News
Fake celebrity scam ads hijack Facebook accounts to target Australians
Scammers are using multinational brands — including a food delivery company and beloved character Paddington Bear — in a bid to steal money from Australian Facebook users.
6 November 2023 | ABC News
Scam ads have become a constant presence both on social media, including Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), but also across news and entertainment websites and beyond.
21 September 2023 | Hungry Talks
Episode 7: Sustainability and Ethics
Prof Christine Parker (ADM+S, and University of Melbourne) talks to Jaia Guildford-Carey (Hungry Talks host) about advertising on social media platforms and the Australian Ad Observatory.
2 June 2023 | ADM+S News
Research informs government debate on targeted advertising of harmful products
The ADM+S Centre has welcomed the call by crossbench MPs for the Federal Government to use independent evidence on targeted advertising to inform debate about pervasive marketing of harmful products as a matter of public importance.
23 March 2023 | ADM+S Media
The Australian Ad Observatory uncovering the hidden world of targeted advertising
The Australian Ad Observatory project conducted at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S) is working to understand the hidden world of advertising by asking volunteers to donate their Facebook ads.
21 March 2023 | ABC News
Offshore casino illegally ‘partners’ with Facebook to target Australians
The ABC recently partnered with the Australian Ad Observatory to find gambling ads that were illegally targeting Australians on Facebook. This report asks who should be responsible for monitoring illegal online advertising and whether advertising rules can be better enforced by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACAM).
9 March 2023 | FARE Media Release
Alcohol companies ply community with 40,000 alcohol advertisements a year on Facebook and Instagram
Alcohol companies are creating online environments for harm, with a new report revealing that 39,820 distinct alcohol ads are placed on Facebook and Instagram each year, often combined with a button prompting users to “shop now”.
7 March 2023 | ABC Radio National
Australian regulators target corporate ‘greenwashing’
Corporate regulator ASIC has launched its first prosecution over alleged ‘greenwashing’ as the consumer watchdog vows to get tough on questionable claims.
8 March 2023 | ADM+S Media Release
Research investigates “greenwashing” advertising on social media
17 May 2022 | ADM+S Podcast
How Does Political Advertising Target Voters on Social Media?
As we countdown to the election, we’re seeing an increase in political advertising, not just on billboards and TV, but also online. It’s even crept into online games and Grindr. In this episode we talk to Professor Daniel Angus about the rise of political advertising on social media and the use of micro-targeting to shape political messaging.
13 May 2022 | ABC The Drum
Professor Daniel Angus talks about the Australian Ad Observatory and the state of online advertising during the federal election.
8 May 2022 | The Briefing Podcast
Election ads: From Google to Grindr
Professor Daniel Angus talks to The Briefing about online political advertising, how it works, what concerns arise, and some of what he and his teams at ADM+S and QUT are seeing this campaign through their online ad tracking activities.
3 May 2022 | The Conversation
Facebook, YouTube, games & Grindr: what we know about online ads in the federal election
Unlike billboards or TV ads which can be widely seen, targeted ads may be invisible beyond their intended audience. Researchers try to get a handle on online advertising through projects like the Australian Ad Observatory. Here’s what they know so far about the state of online advertising in the federal election.
8 April 2022 | ABC The Briefing
Prof Daniel Angus discusses targeted advertising on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing
Whilst political advertising is seen on TV, pamphlets and billboards, a lot of political activity is also happening online, out of the spotlight and out of public scrutiny. ADM+S researchers are working in partnership with ABC to monitor political advertising on Facebook during the election campaign to uncover how these ads are being targeted.
8 April 2022 | CHOICE
Why we need better oversight of targeted online advertising
Targeted advertising can be useful and convenient at times, like when you’ve been searching for the perfect bedside lamp and Facebook shows you ads from lighting companies with similar lamps. But can also be irrelevant and annoying. It can have grave consequences, too: the same systems that target you as a potential buyer of a new bedside lamp could also persuade you to buy a scam health product or vote for a particular political party.
6 April 2022 | ABC News article
How political parties are using microtargeting to sway voter choices ahead of the federal election
Campaigners today have the ability to target voters more directly through digital and social media advertising, identifying them based on their online footprints. Despite this being a common practice among most political parties, there’s still a lot we don’t know.
5 April 2022 | ABC News article
You’re being targeted on Facebook this federal election campaign. Find out who’s doing it
Election campaigns might seem like they’re fought on campaign buses and in shopping malls, because that’s where we see political leaders on the news.
But a lot of political activity is happening online, out of the spotlight.
17 October 2021 | Channel Seven Sunrise
Research project launched into Facebook’s use of highly-targeted ‘dark ads’
How many times have you been scrolling social media and seen an ad for a company you don’t follow?