IAB TCF Guide for Publishers

We understand the difficulties of navigating the IABEurope transparency and consent framework, that's why we've put together the whats, whys, hows, and whos to help you through this process.

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What is the IAB TCF?

• IAB TCF stands for the Transparency and Consent Framework by the Interactive Advertising Bureau Europe.
• The framework is a first approach to provide a GDPR compliant consent interface Framework for Publishers and Advertisers.
• The framework provides a technical and legal Framework to communicate consent records between vendors, publishers, and end user.

‍What is the IAB Europe?

The Interactive Advertising Bureau Europe is an organization in the online advertising sector. It tries to bring the interests of the digital advertising industry and media industry in line with the legal requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and ePrivacy Directive (ePD).

Why was the IAB Transparency and Consent Framework created?

As the GDPR and similar laws came into effect, merely informing the visitor of a website that their personal data is being processed has become insufficient practice to comply with such data protection regulations. The publisher (website owner) has to make sure that the visitors of their website agree to the processing of their personal data and which vendors (advertisers) are allowed to do it, and for which purpose. Thus consent is required to process the personal data of end users.

‍‍Who is the framework for?

It is for advertisers and publishers who intend to use advertising to monetize their content, while not sacrificing their GDPR compliance.

‍Why use the TCF?

It provides transparency and control over the processing of personal data for publishers, vendors, and end users. End users have not only the possibility to give consent, and get informed about what data will be collected and processed, but they also have the opportunity to object to the processing of their personal data. Thus the “right to object” is built into the same tool (namely the consent management platform) and Framework. 

‍What does the TCF do (and not do)?

The Framework administers that when consent is given to a certain service, the type of the consent itself (yes/no/objection) is communicated to the vendor. However, what the TCF does not take care of is that if no consent is given (or no other legal bases are fulfilled), in fact, no data transfer is occurring to the vendor. For instance, if a user rejects Google Ads, you, as the website operator, need to make sure that no Google Ad scripts are loaded and no personal data is transferred to Google.

‍Which vendors use the TCF framework?

You can find all vendors participating in the TCF in the Global Vendors List.

Can you work with non-IAB and IAB vendors?

Yes. However, the publisher needs to make sure to display to the end user which vendors are participating in the TCF and which vendors are not, while listing both groups separately. Non-IAB Vendors are listed before IAB Vendor in the TRUENDO CMP.

‍Who can join the IAB Europe?

Any company which produces, monitors, sells, and measures digital ads.

Who should use the TCF?

Any organization that intends to use digital ads on their website or digital property and wants to remain GDPR compliant.

What is the role of a CMP in the IAB TCF?

• The Consent Management Platform (CMP) manages the consent and objections of an end user for a website.
• The CMP displays to the end user with which vendors a publisher decided to work with.
• It stores the user’s consent signal and makes consent information available to the vendors. ‍

Steps for Publishers to be compliant with the IAB TCF v2.0

1. Choose a Consent Management Platform (CMP) which is compatible with IAB TCF 2.0.
2. Make sure that your chosen CMP is on the IAB approved CMP list.
3. Implement the CMP correctly according to your CMP provider’s instructions on your website or digital platform. You can find our instructions here.
4. Make sure that signals are only sent after the end user confirmed their choices and no personal data is collected and/or processed before that.
5. Make sure your website still works properly.
6. Enjoy 😊

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TRUENDO is fully IAB TCF v2.0 compatible and an IAB approved CMP (CMP ID: 304). 

Check out the TRUENDO Publisher Glossary

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‍DISCLAIMER: The contents of this website are intended to convey general information only and not to provide legal advice or opinions. The information presented on this website may not reflect the most current legal developments. An attorney should be contacted for advice on specific legal issues. The implementation of a data protection law compliant Consent Management Platform (CMP) is ultimately at the discretion of the respective data protection officer (DPO) or legal department.

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