The IAB Technology Laboratory this month released for public comment tech specifications for OpenRTB 3.0. Specs of ads.cert, AdCOM, and the Ad Management API were also released.
IAB says that ads.cert, AdCOM, and the Ad Management API are designed to promote healthy growth of the digital advertising programmatic marketplace. The combined use of the proposed OpenRTB 3.0 tech spec in conjunction with ads.cert, AdCOM, and the Ad Management API, will improve security and support new use cases in OpenRTB on both the buy and sell sides, ultimately facilitating a better consumer experience.
ads.cert: proposal to cryptographically sign bid requests to indicate the authenticity of premium inventory (e.g. video) that is available through authorized sellers listed in ads.txt files.
AdCOM (Advertising Common Object Model): a new, modular approach to describe the advertising objects to be transacted in OpenRTB or other transactional specifications.
Ad Management API: streamlines creative approval process through standardization of API connections, which supports greater transparency to inform decisions about ad quality.
Beyond the comment period, beta testing for ads.cert will be conducted by Sharethrough, SpotX, The Trade Desk, and Rakuten, while the Ad Management API will be tested by Sharethrough and Centro.  OpenRTB 3.0, in combination with the three supportive specs, will be tested by SpotX, Oath, and Rakuten. Testers will be looking for performance results and developing a path forward for future industry adoption.
“OpenRTB 3.0 represents a ground-up reworking of specifications central to the future of automated buying and selling,” said Dennis Buchheim, Senior Vice President and General Manager, IAB Tech Lab. “We are confident that OpenRTB 3.0, ads.cert, AdCOM, and the Ad Management API will resolve security, extensibility, and usability concerns, and we look forward to the results of the comment period and beta testing, so that we can ensure the final specifications meet the needs of buyers and sellers.”
The specifications will have a 60-day public comment period, running through September 24, 2018.