Claire Atkin of Check My Ads New Faces of Democracy

This episode features a conversation with Claire Atkin of the ad tech watchdog Check My Ads. Our online world has become incredibly complex, bringing with it myriad opportunities for bad actors to manipulate opinions, ideas and ultimately our political system. You may not know what ad tech is or why we need a watchdog, but the bottom line is that Claire and her colleagues at Check My Ads have ventured deep into the weeds to defund online platforms that promote hate and disinformation by taking away their revenue sources: ads. Claire and Nancy talk about the “donut of grifters” on the internet who have monetized the politics of hate through digital advertising; the intentional opacity of the ad tech industry that keeps advertisers from knowing where their online ads are placed; and the great successes that this small but mighty team at Check My Ads have had thus far. If you want to learn more about Check My Ads, you can check out their website where you can make a donation or sign up for their newsletter with regular calls to action.