Your TCF v2.0 transition: a practical checklist for publishers

The August 15 deadline to switch over is rapidly approaching. The Transparency & Consent Framework v2.0 is complex, but with the proper preparation and the right partner, you can ensure no impact on your revenue. For a good overview of the process, view our webinar “The TCF v2.0 switchover: What do publishers need to know?” or check out our blog post.

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1. DO YOUR VENDORS SUPPORT V2.0?

This question is an important starting place. Have a discussion with your key vendors about when they’re planning to join, and coordinate your launch date around when they’re able to support v2.0.

If you’re working with a vendor who doesn’t use the framework, decide how you want to integrate them — can they be triggered by a tag manager?

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2. DO YOU WANT TO USE A PRIVACY MANAGER IN THE FIRST-LAYER MESSAGE?

Making a Privacy Manager the first message that consumers see provides more transparency and the ability to take quick action. It also allows publishers to easily present region-specific privacy laws. On the other hand, there is less opportunity for education: consumers might decline to consent without fully understanding the value exchange. The pros and cons will depend on the relationship with your audience.

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3. DO YOU KNOW HOW PURPOSE 1 IMPACTS YOU?

Purpose 1, “Store and/or access information on a device”, must appear as a consent-based item, never under legitimate interest. It’s an unusual purpose in the TCF in that it’s not a purpose for personal data processing in itself, because any personal data stored and/or accessed via Purpose 1 would require another purpose to be processed. It’s designed to support not just GDPR, but also the ePrivacy directive.

If you’re using it, you should make sure the legal teams in the countries where you operate have a plan for how to comply, since the Data Protection Authorities in some jurisdictions do not require disclosure; in others, it must be disclosed. The Sourcepoint CMP will allow you to configure the Privacy Manager either way, depending on geolocation. But whatever you do, make sure your legal team has reviewed your approach.

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4. WHich stacks do you want to use in the first-layer message?

Because stacks are designed to simplify communication with the consumer and thereby reduce redundancy, you can’t include a purpose in more than one stack, or present a purpose both inside a stack and outside of one.

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5. HOW WILL YOU PRESENT NON-TCF VENDORS AND PURPOSES?

If your UI includes non-TCF vendors or purposes, they must be visually separated — with an icon or some other special treatment.

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6. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO HANDLE LANGUAGE SUPPORT?

Which languages will you support? How will you present a language to the user? Will you present the default or will you rely on the user’s browser to determine which language to support? The Sourcepoint CMP provides the standard IAB translations for all IAB definitions.

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7. HOW EASY WILL IT BE TO IMPLEMENT V2.0?

How many properties do you have? How many vendors? How many custom purposes? When selecting a CMP partner, choose one who can help you navigate your level of complexity and create scalable processes.