Our clients know that consumer data protection is a cornerstone for LiveRamp, and is truly foundational for our vision of a free and open internet. To create durable solutions for consumers, publishers, and brands, we’re committed to understanding and anticipating the evolving regulatory landscape around these important data protections.
As we approach the end of 2021, it’s a great time to look back at the adoption of these global regulations and assess LiveRamp’s solutions against this still-evolving landscape.
It’s been five years since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) kicked off heightened awareness of the fair usage of consumer data when it was adopted by the EU in 2016. Despite the major business and social disruptions we have faced with COVID-19, interest in regional approaches aligned to GDPR principles have grown unabated in the intervening years: in the U.S. alone, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) was quickly adopted in 2018, followed by a strengthened version, the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (CPRA), Virginia’s Consumer Data Protection Act (CDPA) in March 2021, and the Colorado Privacy Act (CPA) in July 2021.
As these regulations developed and matured, LiveRamp has closely worked with data protection authorities across global markets, engaging in meaningful dialogue, collaboration, and feedback on matters of data protection, digital personalization, consumer consent, and marketing measurement. Due to these interactions, LiveRamp solutions, like our Authenticated Traffic Solution (ATS), are stronger than ever and are aligned with both the letter and spirit of these regulations.
ATS allows individuals and businesses to provide publishers with meaningful control over their consumer data. ATS expands publisher reach to authenticating audiences, but only after ATS publishers undergo privacy reviews, which includes checking for appropriate privacy notice and/or consent language and a clear way for consumers to exercise their rights. ATS, like all LiveRamp products, undergoes thorough data usage and workflow analysis from data ethics specialists before any product is delivered to the market.
LiveRamp is always looking for solution value above and beyond regulatory requirements, so we built ATS to deliver increased control, flexibility, and performance. ATS supports direct deals, private marketplace deals, and deals on the open exchange, enabling publishers to decide when or how their identity is used. ATS unlocks critical scale for publishers and marketers without compromise or limitation. Publisher tests have yielded double- and triple-digit lifts in audience CPMs across browsers, including “cookie-less” browsers like Safari and Firefox, and large lifts in mobile reach, including iOS.
As 2022 rapidly approaches, we appreciate the efforts of regulatory authorities to understand, anticipate, and moderate the complexities of our industry and to create a safe and viable path forward for the future of digital advertising. Whatever changes may be adopted, LiveRamp will be engaged and will continue to be a strong advocate for solutions that prioritize consumer privacy and transparency, while also enabling personalized and meaningful experiences—including advertising—for individuals.