Is Fixing Adtech the Biggest Privacy Win?

A live conversation with Arielle Garcia

For ten years, Arielle Garcia worked inside one of the world's largest advertising agencies. She rose to Chief Privacy & Responsibility Officer, built the practice from scratch — and then resigned publicly, concluding the system couldn't be reformed from within. Today, as COO of Check My Ads, she investigates the machinery that most privacy professionals never see: where the ad dollars actually go, who profits from the opacity, and what it costs the rest of us.

Guest

Arielle Garcia

COO at Check My Ads

Garcia holds a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and spent ten years at UM Worldwide (IPG), where she rose to Chief Privacy & Responsibility Officer — a role she created while completing her law degree. Her public resignation in 2023 went viral across the advertising industry. At Check My Ads, she oversees research and policy programs examining the digital advertising ecosystem. During the US federal antitrust trial against Google, she became a central source for journalists, reformers, and policymakers — breaking down complex courtroom proceedings without losing the technical nuance, and coordinating a coalition of 14 civil society groups invested in the outcome. She has since become directly involved in crafting regulatory policy in both the US and EU. Garcia is an Adweek Innovator 50 honoree as of 2025, and was inducted into the AAF Advertising Hall of Achievement in 2021.

Host

Vibeke Specht

Co-Founder of Peak Privacy

CIPP/E certified privacy professional and author of "From GDPR Confusion to Privacy First Marketing".