The increasing use of big data and algorithms allows for an increasingly precise targeting of specific consumer groups with specific types of advertising and prices and an increasing personalization of commercial messages. Receiving advertisements aligned to their personal interests may be perceived as useful by consumers, but it also raises issues of privacy, and it may even lead to the creation of unfair distinctions between consumers and even to illegal discrimination. When the selection of the categories of users is not the result of explicit choices made by the advertiser, but of the functioning of an algorithm, it is not always clear which criterion determines who receives which type of advertising.

The focus of the discussions will be on the EU, but US and Chinese examples will also facilitate trans-continental comparisons and highlight the regional similarities and differences in the challenges of and approaches for tackling discrimination problems.