IAB Tech Lab Develops Server-Side Ad Tech Solution
IAB Tech Lab's Trusted Server may improve page-load speeds, but raises concerns about user trust and privacy control. The solution enables publishers to control their ad tech stacks, but users must trust publishers to handle their data responsibly.
Original reporting · digiday.com
Original: “Can web users trust ad tech’s server-side shift?”
Read “Can web users trust ad tech’s server-side shift?” at Digiday →
How this was written. Clicktag wrote this article with a language model from Digiday’s reporting (model: @cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast); it describes that reporting rather than adding to it. The original, linked above, is the full story.
Key points from Digiday’s report
- IAB Tech Lab's Trusted Server is a server-side ad tech solution that enables publishers to control their ad tech stacks and improve page-load speeds.
- The solution raises concerns about user privacy control, as it introduces the edge cookie, a persistent identifier that can be used to track users.
- Publishers have control over how data is passed, and Trusted Server was designed to support integration with consent management platforms.
- The issue of trust is critical in the context of server-side ad tech, and users must trust publishers to handle their data responsibly.
- The shift to server-side ad tech solutions may become more widespread as the industry adapts to changing regulations and technological advancements.
The online ad industry is shifting towards server-side ad tech solutions in response to Apple's identity resolution crackdown. IAB Tech Lab's Trusted Server is a key example of this trend, offering open-source software that promises faster page-load speeds and better control for publishers over their ad tech stacks.
The Trusted Server initiative originated as a response to the decline of third-party cookies and signal loss. According to Rowena Lam, senior director of product, privacy and data at IAB Tech Lab, it was clear that publishers needed to think beyond browser-based solutions.
By taking ad calls out of the browser, however, users have less visibility into the process. The Trusted Server introduces the edge cookie, a server-side identifier created by hashing a user's IP address via a secret key specific to the domain they are visiting.
The edge cookie raises concerns about user privacy control, as it can be used as a persistent identifier. If a user clears their browser cookies, but visits the same website again with the same IP address and secret key, a new edge cookie can be created that can be matched to the previous one.
Lam notes that the edge cookie is not automatically shared with downstream vendors, and publishers have control over how data is passed. Trusted Server was also designed to support integration with consent management platforms, allowing websites to share a user's consent status across the programmatic supply chain.
The issue of trust is critical in the context of server-side ad tech. Users must trust publishers to handle their data responsibly, and publishers must be transparent about their practices. Lam emphasizes that Trusted Server includes robust logging and auditing, and requires publishers to make decisions about how they want to operate in terms of respecting consumer privacy.
The shift to server-side ad tech raises questions about the balance between privacy and efficiency. While server-side solutions may offer more control for publishers, they also require users to trust that their data is being handled responsibly. As the industry continues to evolve, it remains to be seen how these issues will be addressed.
The use of server-side ad tech solutions like Trusted Server may become more widespread as the industry adapts to changing regulations and technological advancements. As this happens, it will be important for publishers and vendors to prioritize transparency and user trust.
Ultimately, the success of server-side ad tech solutions will depend on the ability of publishers and vendors to build trust with users. This will require a combination of transparency, accountability, and responsible data handling practices. This article is based on reporting by Digiday.
Questions and answers
What is the Trusted Server and how does it work?
The Trusted Server is an open-source software solution that enables publishers to control their ad tech stacks and improve page-load speeds by taking ad calls out of the browser and running them on the publisher's server.
How does the edge cookie work and what are the implications for user privacy?
The edge cookie is a server-side identifier created by hashing a user's IP address via a secret key specific to the domain they are visiting, and it can be used as a persistent identifier to track users.
How can users trust that their data is being handled responsibly in a server-side ad tech environment?
Users must trust publishers to handle their data responsibly, and publishers must be transparent about their practices, including the use of robust logging and auditing, and integration with consent management platforms.
