New Google consent management requirements for serving ads in the EEA and UK (for publishers)

This update was announced in the blog post titled New Consent Management Platform requirements for serving ads in the EEA and UK.

Beginning January 16, 2024, in addition to our EU user consent policy, publishers and developers using Google AdSense, Ad Manager, or AdMob will be required to use a Consent Management Platform (CMP) that has been certified by Google and has integrated with the IAB's Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF) when serving ads to users in the European Economic Area or the UK.

Review the following information to understand these new requirements, the timing of these changes, and what publishers can do to prepare.

New IAB TCF requirement

Publishers will need to ensure they are working with a Google-certified CMP when serving ads to users in the European Economic Area or the UK. Google-certified CMPs are assessed by Google against Google certification criteria focused on TCF compliance. If publishers using the TCF also work with ad technology providers that are not registered with the TCF, Google supports that today—through our Additional Consent specification—and will continue to do so. Our CMP assessments will check that CMPs supporting our Additional Consent specification can do so correctly.  Successful review of a CMP against the Google-certification criteria will make that CMP available in our list of Google-certified CMPs. Google does not check CMPs for full compliance with the TCF or applicable privacy laws.

If you work with an existing CMP that is not included on the following list of Google-certified CMPs, please contact your CMP to understand if they intend to be certified.

In 2020, we integrated our ads systems with the TCF. You can learn more about IAB TCF and AdSense’s integration in our publisher integration help center article. The new IAB TCF requirement is a continuation of our 2020 commitment to support industry efforts aimed at managing user transparency and consent through a standardized framework.

Google-certified CMPs

Beginning January 16, 2024, if a partner does not adopt a Google-certified CMP, no ads will be eligible to serve on EEA and UK traffic. Traffic from a Google-certified CMP will continue to be eligible for personalized ads or non-personalized ads (NPA).

Timeline

• May 2023 and onward: Google has begun the process of certifying CMPs that work with our publishing partners. Google will work with CMPs to certify them against the certification criteria.
• Beginning January 16, 2024: In addition to our EU user consent policy, publishers and developers using Google AdSense, Ad Manager, or AdMob will be required to use a Consent Management Platform (CMP) that has been certified by Google and has integrated with the IAB's Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF) when serving ads to users in the European Economic Area or the UK. We will follow up with more details regarding timing.

Next steps

• Publishers already working with a CMP: To ensure a smooth transition, publishers currently working with a CMP should proactively talk with their provider about the certification process. 
• Publishers with their own CMP: Publishers who have their own CMPs can register their interest in completing certification for their CMP. Learn more about CMP certification
• Publishers who need to find a CMP: For publishers seeking a new CMP partner, they can consider the list of Google-certified CMPs above. We will regularly add other CMPs as they become certified.
• Publishers using Google’s Privacy & messaging GDPR user consent messages: We encourage publishers to consider which CMP solution is best for them. To support publishers, the GDPR user consent messages available to Ad Manager, AdSense, and AdMob publishers in the Privacy & messaging tab are certified in accordance with the new TCF requirement. Learn more about Privacy & Messaging GDPR support and integration with TCF
• App publishers: In addition to the features above, Google offers app publishers the User Messaging Platform (UMP) SDK. Learn more about adding the Google User Messaging Platform (UMP) SDK to your apps (Ad Manager, AdMob) and creating a GDPR message for apps (Ad Manager, AdMob). 

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