Privacy
Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF) — Definition & Explanation
An IAB Europe standard (currently v2.2) that provides a mechanism for collecting, storing, and communicating user consent for data processing in digital advertising. CMPs use TCF to signal consent status to ad tech vendors.
How Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF) Works
TCF defines a standardized consent string that encodes a user's consent choices for each registered vendor. CMPs generate these strings, which are passed to all participants in the ad tech stack via the CMP API.
Why Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF) Matters for Publishers
TCF is required for GDPR-compliant programmatic advertising on EU traffic. Publishers without TCF implementation face demand restrictions for European users.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is TCF v2.2 mandatory for EU publishers?
TCF v2.2 compliance is the industry standard for GDPR-compliant programmatic advertising in the EU. Publishers operating in the EU should implement a TCF-certified CMP.
Does TCF affect all publisher traffic or just EU?
TCF signals are primarily used for EU/EEA traffic under GDPR. CCPA compliance for US traffic uses different signaling mechanisms.
Does Stellor Media support TCF?
Yes. Stellor Media fully supports TCF v2.2 and honors consent signals in all programmatic transactions with EU users.
Related Terms
Maximize Your Ad Revenue with Stellor Media's SSP
Ready to put programmatic expertise to work? Join publishers earning 40% more RPM with Stellor Media's publisher-first SSP platform.
Get Your Revenue Assessment →