Where’s your spend really going? Why the open web is still the safer choice
Opinion
The rise of platforms has left brands with little insight into how their spend is used, who is benefiting from it and whether those actors are behaving responsibly.
The revelation that Meta secretly bypassed Android’s built-in privacy settings to track billions of users should feel like more than just another platform misstep.
For advertisers, it underscores a deeper issue: the foundations on which media strategies were built may not be as secure or ethical as assumed. Campaigns that ran during this period were placed in environments where user trust had been quietly compromised. And, in turn, so was brand trust.
That breach isn’t just technical. It’s philosophical. It asks us to question the systems we rely on, the assumptions we make and the compromises we’re willing to accept in the name of convenience or scale.
When platforms operate behind closed doors, buyers lose the ability to see clearly into the environments they’re funding. And in that opacity, accountability falters.
The problem with convenience
For years, platforms have positioned themselves as the efficient choice. With vast reach, easy integrations and turnkey targeting options, they’ve captured a dominant share of digital ad budgets.
But that dominance has come at a cost — and not just in terms of privacy. When control is concentrated, transparency suffers. Brands are left with little insight into how their spend is used, who is benefiting from it and whether those actors are behaving responsibly.
This is the wake-up call. If your campaign budget is flowing into environments, or even routines, where data misuse is possible, then every impression comes with a reputational risk.
Incidents like Meta’s aren’t isolated; they’re systemic. Which makes the question not just “What went wrong?” but “Why are we still trusting systems that don’t let us see what’s really happening?”.
What the open web offers
Unlike the closed, tightly controlled ecosystems of the platforms, the open web invites scrutiny. It isn’t monolithic — and that’s its strength.
Advertisers have more visibility, more options and more control over where their messages appear and how their audiences are reached. With the right tools, they can make deliberate, values-aligned decisions about what kinds of environments they support.
There’s long been a perception that the open web is messy, hard to navigate, inefficient or performance-poor. But that image is increasingly out of date.
What once felt disjointed can now be curated, high-performing and accountable, provided buyers are working with partners that understand how to harness its potential.
Contextual tools, in particular, have evolved dramatically. No longer blunt instruments, these technologies now enable precise, real-time targeting that aligns with content quality, tone and brand values.
Performance without compromise
The idea that transparency requires a sacrifice in performance is one of the biggest myths holding the open web back.
In reality, the opposite can be true. When users are engaged with content they’ve chosen, such as longer-form pieces, expert interviews or high-quality journalism, they’re likely to be more present than for short-form content fed to them algorithmically.
That attention translates into better ad recall, stronger engagement and a more meaningful brand connection.
This kind of environment fosters brand safety, yes, but more importantly it fosters brand suitability. Advertisers aren’t just avoiding unsafe content. They’re actively choosing content that reinforces their positioning, ethics and tone.
And because the open web allows for greater data clarity and supply chain insight, brands can see where their dollars are going, who they’re supporting and what kind of ecosystem they’re contributing to.
A shift that starts with questions
If advertisers are serious about privacy, transparency and accountability, then it’s time to start asking harder questions; not just when a scandal breaks, but as a matter of routine.
Who are we funding? Where is our spend actually going? Are we OK with the trade-offs we’re making in the name of scale?
These aren’t abstract concerns. They’re tied directly to brand integrity and long-term value. And while inertia can be powerful — many buyers still default to familiar platforms out of habit — the cost of that inertia is getting harder to ignore.
Rebuilding confidence in the open web doesn’t just mean investing in better tools. It means reframing how we think about efficiency, performance and trust.
Going forward, the path will be built by those who treat transparency as a baseline, not a benefit. It won’t be paved by platforms that see privacy as a hurdle.
The open web gives advertisers the opportunity to participate in that future — one where performance and ethics aren’t in conflict, and where every impression is a conscious choice, not a blind leap.
Mariana Carvalho-Jones is senior brand and agency sales at Mantis