Programmatic advertising systems are responsible for placing the vast majority of digital ads on the web, using sophisticated algorithms to automatically match products with potential customers. Only a handful of big tech and social media companies control this technology, helping sustain their monopoly over this multi-billion dollar industry.

The Click Trap will reveal how this same digital advertising economy is also helping to fuel scams, dis- and mis- information and extremist hate online, making dodgy and even criminal “content creators” rich in the process. Drawing on expert testimony, the documentary will investigate what real world impact digital advertising is having on our societies and question whether there’s a safer and more ethical way to do business.

Is it time to regulate online advertising?