What was the Belgian decision on the IAB Europe’s Transparency Consent Framework (“TCF”)?
Background Information
Due to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other applicable laws, Customers need a consent banner if they are located in the EU, UK, or Brazil or have these end-users visit their site(s) and want to track them via the NextRoll pixel. Customers may choose to use (i) a TCF-compliant third-party consent banner or (ii) the TCF-compliant NextRoll consent banner.
What is TCF?
The European Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is the leading European-level association for the interactive advertising ecosystem. They created a framework (known as the “TCF”) to obtain the consent required under GDPR. NextRoll follows the TCF guidelines and, therefore, NextRoll’s consent banner is TCF compliant.
Belgium’s DPA decision
On February 2, 2022, the Belgian Data Protection Authority (DPA) ruled that the TCF is in violation of GDPR and that the IAB must take measures to bring the TCF into compliance. The DPA did not ban the use of the TCF nor was its ruling issued against businesses that use it. The ruling was against the IAB only. The IAB has two months to submit a remediation plan to be approved by the DPA. Once approved, the IAB will have six months to implement the plan.
Does this decision impact me?
This decision impacts you if you are a customer using a consent banner.
Reminder: As a customer, you only need a consent banner if you are located in the EU, UK, or Brazil or have these end-users visit your site(s) and want to track them via the NextRoll pixel.
What does this mean for me if I am a customer using the NextRoll consent banner?
Your continued use of the NextRoll consent banner should not trigger liability for GDPR violations based on the Belgium DPA’s decision. The Belgium decision was against the IAB only, not businesses that use TCF-compliant consent banners. For further information, please view the IAB’s Frequently Asked Questions (See 'Are TCF participants at risk now towards their local Data Protection Authority?')
What does this mean for me if I am a customer using a custom consent banner that is TCF complaint?
If you are a customer using a TCF compliant banner from a third party you should not be liable for GDPR violations based on the Belgium DPA’s decision. The Belgium decision was against the IAB only, not businesses that use TCF compliant consent banners. For further information, please view the IAB’s Frequently Asked Questions (See 'Are TCF participants at risk now towards their local Data Protection Authority?')
Who can I contact with questions?
We are committed to supporting your data protection needs. To learn more about our data privacy efforts, please visit the Privacy and Security section of our Help Center and see our Privacy Notice. If you have any questions regarding how this decision may impact our customers, please contact the AdRoll Customer Support team.