New requirements for consent management platforms to serve ads in the EEA and UK

Google's commitment to transparency and control means we regularly look at ways to improve the consent experience. As we do so, we're thinking about developing user expectations and regulatory cues that we believe will ultimately guide the broader online advertising landscape. That's why we're introducing a new requirement to help our partners adapt to these changes, and we expect others in the industry to follow suit with similar adjustments.

In 2020, we integrated our advertising system with IAB Europe's Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF). The framework is supported today across the entire advertising ecosystem, including multiple Content Management Platforms (CMPs), which support many of Google's publisher partners.

Later this year, we will require all partners using our publisher products – Google AdSense, Ad Manager, or AdMob – to use a Google-certified CMP that serves ads to users in the European Economic Area or the UK. Timing should be coordinated with TCF. In the coming weeks, we will make available a list of Google-certified CMPs that are integrated with the IAB Europe TCF and meet TCF specifications, and we will require our partners to use CMPs from this list. will

Our decision to require publishers to adopt the IAB TCF follows IAB Europe's announcement that TCF V2.2 has been finalized, further supporting consistency in the online advertising consent experience. . This decision is a continuation of our 2020 commitment to support industry efforts to manage consumer transparency and consent through a standardized framework.

Google has always been a supporter of industry standards because they support consistent experiences. By supporting TCF, we aim to promote a unified and trusted approach for users and publishers across the wider ecosystem.

In connection with this new requirement, Google has begun the process of certifying CMPs who work with our publishing partners to comply with the TCF. We want to ensure that every CMP can be used with our technology in ways that customers expect. We will continue to support publishers using TCF, but will also work with ad technology providers who are not registered with TCF, despite our additional consent details. Our CMP reviews will check that CMPs supporting our additional consent specifications can do so correctly.

Successful review of a CMP against the criteria will make it available on our list of Google-certified CMPs (Ad Manager, AdMob, AdSense). CMPs interested in learning more about our evaluation process can read our Help Center (Ad Manager, AdMob, AdSense) to learn more and use this form to register for our evaluation process.

We believe that by adopting IAB Europe's standards framework, our industry can establish a more unified and reliable approach to transparency and consent. In turn, these efforts will contribute to the ongoing evolution of user privacy and support a more privacy-conscious digital advertising ecosystem.