The Big Shifts Shaping the Future of Ad Tech: 3 Key Takeaways from the 2025 NAI Summit

Posted

June 6, 2025

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This year marked the 25th anniversary of the NAI Summit, a place for leaders in digital advertising, privacy and policy to gather and confront the increasingly complex realities of data governance in ad tech.  

This year’s summit was filled with interesting topics and informative conversations. Here are three key takeaways that stood out to us as the major shaping forces for the year ahead. 

1. Privacy as a National Security Issue 

The U.S. Department of Justice’s forthcoming Cross-Border Data Transfer Rule continues to dominate many of our conversations in 2025. There’s a good reason for this; unlike most privacy regulations, this rule isn’t rooted in consumer protection—it’s a national security measure. This distinction could fundamentally reframe how companies need to think about data flows, especially in the ad tech space, where cross-border transactions are routine. 

Ad tech vendors, platforms and publishers alike are facing significant uncertainty right now. What exactly constitutes “covered” data? What technical and legal safeguards will be sufficient? And with “aggressive” enforcement expected as early as July, companies have little time to find clarity. For many, this rule signals the start of a much broader reckoning on how data is handled internationally. 

2. State Regulators are Getting Organized 

The recent announcement of a formal Consortium of Privacy Regulators marked a major turning point in state-level enforcement. While states have collaborated informally on privacy and cybersecurity enforcement for many years, this formalized structure will likely accelerate joint investigations and amplify regulatory impact. 

This evolution means organizations will face more coordinated scrutiny from state attorneys general, especially those with active privacy laws already on the books. On the plus side, those of us who know the challenges of dealing with fundamentally fragmented and disconnected state-level compliance regulations may find some relief.  

3. The Inherent Complexity of AdTech  

Here’s something we all know by now: the infrastructure of advertising technology is uniquely complex, and that complexity continues to present challenges for privacy and security teams. From third-party trackers to dynamic auctions, the ecosystem changes constantly. Getting the technical details right is hard. Keeping them right over time is even harder. 

The sheer scale and fluidity of the digital ad supply chain means that traditional approaches to data governance often fall short. At Boltive, we’ve built our solutions specifically to adapt to this environment—where compliance never stands still and the ecosystem constantly evolves.

Looking Ahead 

If the 25th annual NAI Summit made one thing clear, it’s this: the pace of regulatory change is accelerating, and the expectations for ad tech players are only growing more complex. Whether it’s complying with novel federal rules, anticipating coordinated state action, or untangling the data flows that power modern advertising, companies will need to be more agile and more precise than ever. 

At Boltive, we help privacy and security teams stay ahead of these shifts with technology that is purpose-built for the dynamic nature of ad tech.  

Interested in seeing how we can help you prepare for what’s coming next?