In today’s Digest, we discuss Bedrock Platform piloting Index Exchange’s new Index Cloud,  the Consumer Federation of America suing Meta Platforms over alleged scam advertising practices, and Radiocentre urging MPs to reject advertising on BBC platforms. 

DSP Bedrock Platform Pilots Index Exchange's Index Cloud

Index Exchange has launched Index Cloud, a new platform designed to enable models, data, applications, and bidders to operate directly at the point of transaction. The move builds on more than two decades of development for the open internet, now adapted to support an AI-native programmatic ecosystem. Index Exchange have teamed with Bedrock Platform to showcase its capabilities, launching the world’s first containerised DSP using the Index Cloud infrastructure.

The company is positioning its new neutral compute environment, Index Cloud, as a way to reduce costs and improve efficiency in programmatic auctions, while also fostering more competitive dynamics across the DSP market.

Meta sued over scam ads 

The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) has filed a lawsuit against Meta, alleging the company’s handling of scam content on its platforms violates Washington, DC consumer protection laws. The complaint centres on fraudulent advertising, which CFA claims Meta allowed to proliferate despite public commitments to combat scams. 

Examples cited include ads promoting fake government benefits, such as USD$1,400 (£1,106) stimulus payments and free government-issued phones, which were reportedly identified through Meta’s own ads library. CFA argues that Meta profited from these ads and failed to adequately prevent their spread, and is seeking damages and reforms to the company’s ad review processes.

Meta Platforms did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Radiocentre urges MPs to reject BBC ads 

Radiocentre has called on MPs on the Culture, Media & Sport (CMS) Committee to rule out the introduction of advertising across BBC platforms, warning of public opposition and potential harm to the UK’s audio market. In its response to the government’s Green Paper consultation as part of the ongoing Charter Review, the commercial radio body argued that introducing ads would undermine the BBC’s ability to deliver distinctive public service content.

Radiocentre’s submission outlined three key recommendations: banning advertising on BBC radio and audio, reinforcing the broadcaster’s public service distinctiveness, and strengthening regulation of its audio output. It cited economic modelling by Compass Lexecon, which suggested an ad-funded BBC radio model could lead to a 63% funding shortfall, a 36% drop in commercial radio revenues, and a £770m hit to the UK economy. 

With the BBC currently holding a 43% share of the UK radio market and facing declining licence fee revenues, Radiocentre warned that even hybrid advertising models could disrupt the market and called for stronger protections to safeguard the sector’s long-term viability.