In today’s Digest, we discuss how Ocado and publishers have teamed up on clean room data targeting, Reddit and the EU are stepping up age checks in an online safety push, and how TikTok’s Indonesia shakeup could signal challenges ahead in the US

Ocado & publishers team up on clean room data targeting

Ocado has partnered with a cohort of UK publishers including News UK, The Independent, Immediate Media, and Future, to explore how clean room-powered technology can facilitate privacy-compliant data collaboration and enhance targeting capabilities. The initiative, supported by Permutive’s clean room infrastructure, aims to match Ocado’s shopper data with publisher’s audience contextual and behavioural data to enable more granular, privacy-safe ad targeting while maintaining user control.

According to Permutive CEO, Joe Root, “Those signals are very rich across the open internet, but retailers haven’t had the chance to partner with publishers to identify those signals on the path to purchase and then deliver ads against them. When you combine those two sets, the conversion data and the signals and the intent signals which drove it, then all of a sudden you can build this full funnel proposition.”

Reddit & EU step up age checks in online safety push

France, Spain, Italy, Denmark, and Greece are set to pilot an age verification app designed to strengthen online protections for children. Announced by the European Commission, the upcoming European Digital Identity Wallet will allow member states to customise its integration, either as a standalone solution or part of a national ID app. This comes amid growing global concern about the impact of social media on children's mental health.

The pilot accompanies new EU guidelines urging online platforms to take stronger action in safeguarding minors, in line with obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The legislation, which came into effect last year, mandates tech giants such as Google, Meta, and TikTok to reduce exposure to illegal and harmful content. 

EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said in a statement that "Platforms have no excuse to be continuing practices that put children at risk." 

Similarly, Reddit has also begun rolling out age verification for UK users seeking access to mature content, in compliance with the country’s Online Safety Act. The platform is working with identity verification firm Persona to verify users through either a selfie or a photo of a government-issued ID.

Reddit emphasised that the verification process will preserve user anonymity, noting that it will not access photos or store ID documentation. Instead, it will retain only the verification status and birthdate to avoid repeated checks. Users under 18 will be blocked from viewing content deemed harmful or inappropriate under UK regulation. That includes sexually explicit content, content related to self-harm, hate speech, real or simulated violence, and material encouraging substance misuse or body shaming.

TikTok’s Indonesia shakeup could signal US challenges ahead

ByteDance faces mounting pressure to localise TikTok, driven by national security concerns in the US and regulatory demands in Indonesia, yet a similar compliance-driven experiment in its second-largest market is already showing signs of strain. TikTok’s e-commerce integration with Indonesia’s Tokopedia is proving turbulent, with sellers reporting revenue declines, algorithmic changes, and reduced platform control following ByteDance’s acquisition of the local unicorn.

The platform was rebranded as TikTok Shop by Tokopedia in response to a 2023 Indonesian government ban that restricted social media firms from running e-commerce services. But the merger has triggered mass layoffs, an estimated 2,500 jobs cut and alienated sellers now pushed into video-first, influencer-led marketing.

“Tokopedia’s sales volume has continued to decline steadily after ByteDance’s acquisition,” said Simon Torring, co-founder of Cube Asia to Rest of World. Sellers claim visibility has dropped and new platform demands erode their traditional commerce model. Many are redirecting customers to Shopee or jumping ship to smaller, fee-free platforms like Toco.

A TikTok spokesperson acknowledged the challenges of the integration but maintained the move aims to “strengthen the value” for sellers and users alike.