Coalition of Privacy Self-Reg Orgs Launch Uniform Approach to CMP-Specific Controls & Network-Wide Privacy Choices
Regional Digital Advertising Alliances (DAAs) Release Tech Specifications to Help Brands and Publishers Simplify & Improve User Choice Experience
New York/Toronto/Buenos Aires – February 14, 2023 – A coalition of leading privacy self-regulatory organizations today launched a uniform approach for brands and publishers to offer privacy controls on sites and apps through Consent Management Platforms (CMPs) and the AdChoices program.
Through new user interface guidelines and technical specifications that simplify and improve the user experience, brands and publishers can integrate the globally recognized AdChoices Icon into a participating CMP’s user flow, giving consumers access to both CMP-specific controls and the industry-wide choices offered through the DAAs’ portals.
Traditionally, there has been no technical or UI integration between the AdChoices Icon and CMPs’ choice tools. The new guidance and specifications – collectively called the “CMP Complement” – will allow brands and publishers to offer access to both the choices traditionally offered by the CMP and the DAAs’ existing broader choice tools for interest-based advertising.
Released by an international coalition of Digital Advertising Alliances (DAAs), the CMP Complement enables participating CMPs to reflect token-based[1] consumer choices across their affiliated web and app properties, so consumers can see choices made by DAA tools across a CMP’s footprint if the CMP’s customers turn on this new feature.
Among the elements of the new CMP Complement are the following:
Uniform use of the familiar AdChoices Icon by brands and publishers through participating CMPs as a gateway for a digital property’s own choice tools as well as the existing and separate industry-level AdChoices programs managed by the DAAs in each region.
Increased transparency through the use of the AdChoices Icon and a dedicated module/user flow to provide information and choices to consumers by leveraging the new “real estate” provided by participating CMPs.
A common specification for CMPs that enable certain features to reflect token-based preferences signaled through the CMP’s integration with the DAA CMP API.
The CMP Complement allows consumers to use the universal AdChoices Icon to access a CMP’s console and the DAAs’ information and choices about relevant ads, thus advancing the DAAs’ mission to provide real-time notice and control outside of the privacy policy.
Brands and publishers can work with participating CMPs to direct consumers to a dedicated module or user flow within the CMP that focuses on relevant advertising, to enhance their existing AdChoices disclosures in conjunction with a participating CMP. This dedicated AdChoices module or user flow can be prompted directly from the AdChoices Icon on a site (e.g., footer) or in an app (e.g., hamburger menu) to help create a cohesive experience for consumers.
DAA Recognized CMP partners taking part in the beta phase of the launch include TrustArc, Evidon by Crownpeak, and Didomi.
Figure 1: A sample of how access to DAA choice tools would be rendered in a DAA-Recognized CMP.
“The CMP Complement allows consumers to use the familiar AdChoices Icon to access and express their network-wide choices from DAAs’ tools, even through a CMP, via a trusted and familiar interface on both websites and apps. In addition, participating CMPs can aid consumers by allowing them to see their token-based choices and preferences reflected across a CMP customer’s network of sites and apps. This type of access to cross-site choice mechanisms will provide a reliable and well-understood consumer experience while allowing CMPs to provide a more useful and robust service to consumers and the digital properties they serve.” - Lou Mastria, Executive Director, Digital Advertising Alliance
“Unifying consumer choices is what the DAAs have always done best. We provide a centralized resource on which advertising organizations can rely. This work – to bridge consumer choices with the multiple CMPs (and even consumer data platforms) active in our markets – demonstrates the calibre of work capable at the DAAs, which we hope gives comfort and support to our program participants who choose to use both CMPs and AdChoices together.” – Julie Ford, Executive Director, Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada
“We are encouraged by the progress of our international partner associations, and we welcome the progress in providing meaningful choice and control, in line with the ever-evolving changes in the market and consumer expectations in respective territories. We will continue to collaborate closely with the global network of DAAs in view of further harmonising consumer-facing tools and continuously delivering greater value to all programme participants, while always adapting to the specificities of the European landscape.” – Dr. Ionel Naftanaila, Director of Programme Development, European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance
“One of the greatest benefits of our current self-regulatory program for digital advertising is our ability to be nimble, adaptable, and responsive to consumer needs. Innovation is driven by rapid changes in technology and business models, and our self-regulatory program keeps pace with those changes to ensure we continue to offer information and control to consumers through new guidance and tools like those being announced today.” – Mary Teahan, Coordinator, Alianza de Publicidad Digital de Argentina
"TrustArc has always worked to ensure our privacy choice tools are broad, compliant, consistent, and easy-to-use, and the DAAs’ new CMP Complement will help further reinforce all of those goals. As a longtime partner, TrustArc is delighted to work with the DAAs to integrate CMP Complement into our platform so companies can better understand and honor consumer preferences across their properties." – Chris Babel, Chief Executive Officer, TrustArc
"The DAAs' CMP Complement tools and guidance will add value to our Unified Consent Platform (UCP) for both companies and consumers by extending consumer choices across a broader range of properties while integrating the choices expressed through the DAAs' AdChoices tools seamlessly into UCP. We are pleased to join with the DAAs in rolling out this important initiative, and we look forward to further collaboration in the future.” – William Broadhead, Vice President of Engineering, North America, Crownpeak
“Consent tools should not be a wall against consumers but an opportunity to create a better experience for them, which is why we are pleased to work with the DAAs to help expand the reach of consumer choice and gather actionable information about the topics consumers wish to see. By listening to customers through effective choice tools, publishers and advertisers can build trust, loyalty, and profits.” – Jeffrey Wheeler, Head of Product, North America, Didomi
The CMP Complement is designed to provide flexibility in local and regional markets for companies to design innovative user interfaces that comply with relevant regulatory and self-regulatory requirements while making access to long-standing and expected choice options easier for consumers.
DAA-affiliated consumer choice tools are now available in 36 countries and 28 languages around the world. First launched in 2010, the coalition of DAAs includes the Digital Advertising Alliance (US), the Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada (DAAC), and Alianza de Publicidad Digital de Argentina (APDA). The CMP Complement effort is further recognized by the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA), based in Brussels. The AdChoices programs in the US, Canada, all EEA-member countries, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK, and Argentina help companies provide consumers with enhanced notices outside of a company’s privacy policy about data collection and use for relevant advertising.
Interested CMP providers and other companies can get more information about the DAA’s CMP Complement, including technical specs and integration information, by contacting the DAA (info@aboutads.info). The DAA plans to complete the beta testing of the tool and move toward rollout by Q2 2023, with interest-based category controls shortly thereafter.
About the Digital Advertising Alliance
The Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) is an independent not-for-profit organization that establishes and enforces responsible privacy practices for relevant digital advertising while giving consumers information and control over the types of digital advertising they receive. The DAA runs the YourAdChoices, mobile AppChoices, PoliticalAds, and PrivacyRights.info programs. Underlying the DAA's efforts are the DAA Self-Regulatory Principles, including updates to address changing technologies and business models around multi-site, mobile, and cross-device data. Compliance with the DAA Principles is independently enforced for all companies in digital advertising by BBB National Programs (BBBNP) and the Association of National Advertisers (ANA). The DAA is managed by a consortium of the leading national advertising and marketing trade groups, including the 4A's; American Advertising Federation; ANA; Interactive Advertising Bureau; and Network Advertising Initiative, with the advice of BBBNP.
About the Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada
The Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada (DAAC) is a consortium of the leading national advertising and marketing associations whose members are committed to delivering a robust and credible program for responsible online interest-based advertising (IBA). The DAAC developed the Canadian AdChoices program in 2013, designed to educate consumers about IBA and provide mechanisms for consumers to know when IBA is occurring and the ability to control whether or not they choose to permit the collection and use of their browsing data for IBA purposes. Independent self-regulatory body Ad Standards oversees accountability for the program. Companies may reference the DAAC's AdChoices Principles and learn more at YourAdChoices.ca
About the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance
EDAA was founded in 2012 by a European industry coalition representing advertisers, the advertising agency sector, the interactive and direct marketing sector, the advertising technology sector and the media sector. EDAA is governed by EU-level organisations, which make up the value chain of data-driven advertising within Europe, and acts to ensure consistency in the European self-regulatory approach. The EDAA’s guiding principles are laid out in the European Industry Self-Regulatory Framework for Data-Driven Advertising and the Best Practice Recommendation for Online Behavioural Advertising of the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA).
About Alianza para la Publicidad Digital de Argentina
The Alliance for Digital Advertising of Argentina (APDA) establishes and monitors digital advertising practices in Argentina, providing consumers with greater transparency and control through its various principles that apply to multi-site data and cross-data collected in computer or mobile environments. APDA is an independent non-profit organization led by business chambers in the advertising and marketing fields.
###
[1] “Tokens” represent the next-generation of consumer identifiers on the Web and in apps that are used to help serve relevant advertising content. The DAAs' YourAdChoices tool enables consumers to set permissions for such data collection, relying on a 'token' identifier, such as a hashed email address or phone number to effect such choice.