Report | Electric Eyes: Advertising Monopolies and Canada's National Security

Online advertising powers the internet, but a handful of giants—Google, Meta, and Amazon—control the system. Worth more than $16 billion per year in Canada, the industry runs on personal data harvested in real time and traded through opaque ad exchanges. This data reveals intimate details of people’s lives and fuels not only targeted marketing but also misinformation, spyware, and intelligence operations.

In a new report, CAMP lays out how this monopolized market represents not just an erosion of privacy, but a threat to Canada’s national security. Hostile actors can use advertising data to track officials, compromise secure systems, and spread propaganda. Canada’s sovereignty and safety are undermined by dependence on foreign monopolies that continue to reap profits from this surveillance economy.

To remedy this current state, Canada must tackle these practices of surveillance and the concentrated power that protects it. By breaking open online advertising monopolies, strengthening our privacy laws, and empowering regulators to ensure genuine compliance, Canada can create a more balanced and secure future for all citizens.

You can read the full report here.