Onboarding an IAB Compliant CMP for Advertisers

What is a CMP?

A Consent Management Platform (CMP) is a tool used by advertisers to manage user consent for data processing activities, particularly in the context of online advertising. It allows advertisers to collect, store, and communicate user consent signals to ad tech vendors in compliance with industry standards and data protection regulations. 

Why do I need a CMP?

If you have an Outbrain pixel implemented to track conversions and you are targeting users in the EU and UK, you are required by the GDPR and the ePrivacy Regulation to obtain user consent before allowing any tracking on advertiser landing pages. Implementing an IAB compliant CMP is therefore crucial for all advertisers who utilize Outbrain’s pixel.

Users must accept or deny consent for advertisers and ad tech vendors to collect this data. Outbrain will not collect conversion data for users who have denied or did not give consent.

How to Implement a CMP

Step 1: Choosing an IAB Compliant CMP

1. Select a CMP provider that explicitly states its compliance with IAB standards. For a comprehensive list of compliant CMPs, please refer to the IAB’s list of compliant CMPs.

Step 2: Integration and Configuration

1. Integrate the CMP: Work with your technical team to integrate the CMP’s JavaScript tag into your digital properties, such as websites and mobile apps.
2. Configure the CMP: Customize the CMP to meet the specific requirements of your data processing activities, including vendor list management and user consent preferences.
3. Include Outbrain: Ensure that the CMP specifically mentioned Outbrain to ensure that users are providing consent for Outbrain’s pixel.

Step 3: Testing and Validation

1. Thorough Testing: Test the CMP to ensure it accurately captures and manages user consent according to IAB guidelines.
2. Validation: Confirm that the CMP displays appropriate consent notices, manages user preferences, and communicates consent signals to ad tech vendors in compliance with the TCF.

Outbrain Recommendations for Proper CMP Display

To ensure GDPR compliance, it’s important that your CMP is prominently displayed to users upon their first visit and meets the following standards, including but not limited to:

• Clear and accessible: The CMP should be immediately visible upon arrival to your site, typically displayed as a banner or overlay, so that users can provide consent before engaging further.
• Explicit consent options: Users must have clear options to accept or decline various types of data processing. This means including buttons or checkboxes for each purpose of data collection (e.g., analytics, marketing). We will not track conversions without consent.
• Detailed information: Provide clear, specific information about the data you collect, how it’s used, and who it may be shared with. The CMP should also include links to your full privacy policy for users who want to learn more.
• Easy withdrawal options: Allow users to easily change their consent preferences at any time, ideally by providing a link to the CMP in a footer or settings page.
• Industry Standard Mechanism: Your CMP must be an industry-accepted solution including the IAB’s Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF) v2.2 or Google Consent Manager. 

As the last step, please note that If Outbrain is not mentioned in your CMP, then we cannot get the relevant signals to read consent. Please add Outbrain as vendor to your CMP (IAB global vendor ID for Outbrain UK is 164).

If you have any questions about your CMP please reach out to privacyquestions@outbrain.com. For more details on Outbrain’s privacy practices, please visit the User’s Section of our [Privacy Policy].