IAB TCF v2.0: Upgrade Considerations and Available Checklist

With the switchover deadline between version 1.1 and 2.0 of IAB Europe’s Transparency and Consent Framework approaching, OneTrust’s Ashlea Cartee looks at how companies can prepare

You likely know by now that publishers leveraging the IAB Europe Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF) need to prepare to switch to support for TCF v2.0 before August 15 when support for version 1.1 will end.

You might be asking yourself: “How do I make the transition to IAB TCF v2.0 as smooth as possible?”   

With the list of features, purposes, stacks, new structure for the TC String, and more, there are significant changes from previous versions. And after an initial transition phase in v2 adoption, older versions will be deprecated. 

What do you need to do to make the switch from TCF v1.1 to v2.0?  

Under IAB TCF v2.0, publishers are able to: 

• Select on a per vendor basis the purposes and/or legal bases permitted on their services

• Provide users with transparency into your vendors and the purpose in which your data is processed

• Request and obtain consent or have legal bases for processing data

• Transparently pass information relating to user choices to the ecosystem

• Utilise the service of a Consent Management Platform (CMP) registered with the TCF

With an IAB-approved CMP, publishers can easily put a CMP banner or overlay on their website. That “right consent” is then automatically sent to IAB Europe’s pre-approved vendors, and voila–targeted ads are delivered.    

Here are some things companies should consider when making the upgrade to TCF v2.0, based on the company size:

For smaller companies that need a quick, free solution to follow TCF v2.0 guidelines:

If you’re a small publisher or media company with just one or a few domains, building a CMP should be a breeze. With this tool, you can get up and running quick by simply selecting your CMP layout and style, choosing your audience and adding the script onto your website. However, if you need to target a broader audience or want to think about keeping track of consent records in a dashboard, upgrading to a full Consent Management Platform is the way to go. ​  

For medium​-sized companies that have multiple domains and Google ads: 

If you fall in the medium bucket, you likely manage multiple domains, need to manage stacks, and integrate with Google ads. Until Google is a registered vendor of TCF v2.0, per IAB policies, Google must be listed separately from the IAB TCF v2.0 approved vendors. Make sure you use a software solution that can configure the CMP so that you are integrated with Google and IAB TCF v2.0 compliant.  

For large​ enterprises that need a to manage multiple vendors and integrate with various platforms: 

As a large enterprise, you have a lot on your hands when it comes to compliance. In addition to focus areas for medium-sized businesses, you’re likely looking to manage the vendor list, integrate with existing tech stacks and build a CMP for your mobile application.

With solutions like OneTrust, you’re able to search and filter vendor list sourced directly from IAB without leaving the product, manage purposes in bulk and/or by individual vendor, block non-compliant vendors, and integrate with existing tech stack including Adobe Advertising Cloud, Facebook, FreeWheel, mParticle, and Salesforce Audience Studio. For mobile apps, you’ll need to create a CMP as you would for web properties, export the native SDK and import it into your application.  

This can get complex—so we put together a detailed checklist to help you navigate your TCF v2.0 upgrade.  

Why IAB TCF 2.0 is a Win for Publishers

IAB TCF v2.0 gives publishers much more power regarding how ad tech vendors and advertisers can utilize the data collected on your website or app. Plus, it gives you the opportunity to establish next-level transparency with your customers.  

But time to make the switch is running out! By August 15 2020 all global vendors and CMPs under TCF v1.1 will no longer be supported. If you need additional help, you can find out more about PreferenceChoice here.