IAB Tech Lab completes its Data Transparency Standard

The IAB Technology Laboratory last week announced the completion of version 1.0 of its Data Transparency Standard and the launch of an affiliated Data Transparency Standard Compliance Program.

3W.relevanC, Dstillery, Epsilon, Hearst Magazines, LiveRamp, Meredith, Neustar, Oracle Data Cloud, and Pandora were key architects of the program’s final requirements and will be among the first work to adopt the standard and associated compliance program.

IAB Tech Lab says the goal is to establish a minimum disclosure and transparency standards for any company that collects audience data for targeting, personalization, or measurement of digital advertising, and ultimately to encourage more informed data usage.

The programs are similar to manufacturers being required to provide a nutrition label on packaged foods, the standard asks data providers to offer details that inform segment quality, addressing things like segment recency, provenance, and segmentation criteria.

The IAB Tech Lab’s compliance program will be available to any organization that offers data, whether syndicated separately or bundled alongside with media, and is also open to adoption by data marketplaces where data is bought and sold.

According to IAB Tech Lab, companies that agree to be part of the program will go through an annual business audit to confirm that the information provided within the labeling is reliable, that the organization has the necessary systems, processes, and personnel in place to sustain consistent label completion at scale, and that a label can be produced for all in-market segments available. Organizations that complete the program will be issued an IAB Tech Lab compliance seal confirming their adherence to transparency principles and best practices.