15 October 2024
Google’s recent decision to let third-party cookies linger indefinitely has created a lot of buzz in the advertising industry. This development comes as a relief for some, but for broadcasters and publishers committed to prioritising user privacy, not much has really changed.
At smartclip, privacy isn’t just an afterthought — it’s a core element of our mission, influencing every product we build. And our GDPR Cockpit is one of the go-to toolkits for advanced privacy settings.
What is the GDPR Cockpit?
The GDPR Cockpit is a supply-side tool on smartx, designed for broadcasters to control how Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is shared with downstream partners like DSPs, DMPs, and other third-party vendors.
We developed this tool to do more than just comply with industry and TCF standards. It puts broadcasters and publishers in the pilot seat, empowering them to protect user data as they navigate the turbulent space of data privacy.
Advantages of the GDPR Cockpit
When users consent to data sharing, they essentially entrust broadcasters with their information. The GDPR Cockpit is an invaluable tool because:
- Broadcasters can choose granular settings that are tailored to the unique, yet complex needs of each partner rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.
- It empowers broadcasters to protect their users’ data with stricter measures beyond industry and TCF requirements.
- In critical environments like Addressable TV, broadcasters have complete control over user opt-in data and can prevent third-party access to personal information, thereby maintaining audience trust.
Differentiating smartx behaviour based on broadcaster settings
With the GDPR Cockpit, broadcasters can configure unique settings for each downstream partner.
The system can differentiate how the broadcaster handles PII and under which circumstances it shares this data with specific downstream partners. The smartx ad server and SSP adapts its behaviours based on the consent signals with user preferences and the broadcaster’s settings in the GDPR Cockpit.
If a user gives their consent via a Consent Management Platform, broadcasters can still decide to overwrite the user preferences with stricter settings, but in general, decide between the following options: share full user information, anonymised user information, or no user information at all, with each downstream partner.
| Settings | How data is treated |
| No traffic | No user data will be shared and DSPs will not receive bid requests. |
| Anonymised user data sharing | Downstream partners will not have access to the users’ PII but will get anonymised data. Deal-specific IDs can be created for specific deals, enabling DSPs to implement frequency cappings and reporting. Additionally, the tracking prevention feature can block and remove trackers integrated by DSPs into creatives. |
| Full user data sharing | All user data will be shared with the relevant downstream partners. |
As mentioned, broadcasters can always enforce stricter privacy settings than user preferences, meaning user consent for full data sharing is overridden by the broadcaster’s more restrictive GDPR Cockpit settings. But if the user opts out of data sharing, this preference is respected, regardless of the broadcaster’s settings for anonymised or full data sharing.
While users should ultimately be in control of their personal data, broadcasters play a crucial role in ensuring that data is used responsibly. The GDPR Cockpit gives broadcasters the ability to limit personal user data sharing for each partner, while Vegan Ads makes it possible to restrict data flow more granularly — e.g., per campaign, line item, or demand business rule. With tools like the GDPR Cockpit, Vegan Ads, and the entire smartID Hub, smartclip remains fully committed to enabling European broadcasters to thrive in a privacy-first advertising ecosystem.
Want to learn more? Get in touch.
Gloria Eichler is the Chief Product Officer at smartclip. A true smartclip veteran, she joined the company as an intern and, just over 12 years later, has risen to be a part of the C-level team. In her role, Gloria is responsible for driving the strategic direction of our products.
Gloria Eichler
Chief Product Officer
