Why the AATP?
The European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA) has been tasked by its governing associations and participating companies, together representing the online digital advertising industry, to develop a solution to the challenges posed by the EU’s Digital Services Act, particularly around advertising transparency.
What is the Digital Services Act (DSA)?
In 2020 the European Commission presented a legislative package which included the Digital Services Act (DSA). Applicable as of February 2024 for all online platforms, the DSA imposes new enhanced transparency requirements on the “online platforms” presenting ads to consumers located in the European Union. More specific obligations have been introduced for Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs), applicable already as of August 2023.
What does Art. 26 of the Digital Services Act ask of your company?
— Greater transparency, through “standardised/prominent symbols”, in real time, for each individual ad, for each individual user — who must be able to clearly identify:
✓ That the information presented to them is an advertisement;
✓ The identity of the company on whose behalf the ad is served;
✓ The identity of the company who paid for the ad (if different from the above);
✓ The main parameters used to determine the recipient of the specific ad, and (where applicable) how to change them.
— Responsibility lies with the online platforms, but their compliance depends on the provision and transfer of information by other stakeholders upstream in the supply chain.
— Effective transparency requires coordination across the industry, and EDAA is ideally positioned to facilitate dialogue as the well-established cross-industry alliance with experience and expertise in this space. Our solution avoids further fragmentation and fosters a harmonised approach across the industry, for the benefit of consumers and their online experience.
EDAA’s solution: the Advanced Advertising Transparency Programme (AATP)
The EDAA co-created the Advanced Advertising Transparency Programme (AATP) with and for the digital advertising industry to address the challenges above. The AATP offers an adaptable ad transparency solution to facilitate alignment with the provisions of the DSA, leveraging the ubiquitous AdChoices Icon as a prominent, standardised ad marker.
The AATP provides comprehensive policy and technical guidance for the implementation of the solution and relies on IAB Europe and IAB Tech Lab’s DSA Transparency Extension for the transfer of ad transparency information across the OpenRTB space.
Complemented by solid accountability and enforcement structures, the AATP aims to offer a reliable cross-industry framework for collaboration towards alignment with the DSA, in the interest of promoting effective transparency, choice and control for European consumers.
The AATP solution explained
In principle…
The AATP empowers participating companies to provide meaningful transparency about all ads and effective consumer choice and control in a collaborative effort to align with the DSA’s objective of providing European consumers with a predictable and trusted online environment.
An independent certification will demonstrate compliance with the Programme, and an enforcement mechanism will ensure that consumer complaint and query mechanisms are easily accessible, transparent, recognisable, independent, and enforceable.
In line with our guiding principle of consumer education, participating companies are encouraged to provide informational material on how online advertising works, in particular redirecting to the user-facing portal YourOnlineChoices.eu.
In practice…
Ads served by companies participating in the AATP will carry the AdChoices Icon and grant consumers access to a proprietary Enhanced Transparency Page containing DSA-required disclosures.
The transparency information will be carried across the supply chain through an OpenRTB-based mechanism standardised by IAB Europe and IAB Tech Lab. For additional information, please consult DSA Transparency Extension GitHub repository and Implementation Guidelines.
Is the AATP right for my company? Yes if…
> My company qualifies as an Online Platform under the DSA
> I am an AdTech player working with online platforms, supporting the latter to comply with DSA Art. 26
> I want to offer heightened transparency across my digital properties
Your commitments
Your benefits and added value
👀 Want to know more?
> Are you an… ?
2. Integrate the AdChoices Icon and prepare to implement the aspects of the Programme that pertain to your company
3. Engage an independent Certification Provider to verify your compliance with the AATP
4. Receive and display the AATP Trust Seal
5. Be part of an ecosystem that delivers enhanced transparency to consumers and business partners
