Interactive Advertising Bureau Transparency & Consent Framework version 2.2
The IAB Transparency & Consent Framework (TCF) 2.2 is the industry standard for managing consent in the digital advertising chain. It provides a standardized way to communicate consent preferences between publishers, advertisers and ad-tech providers.
The IAB TCF 2.2 is a framework developed by IAB Europe that provides a standardized mechanism for recording and communicating user consent within the digital advertising ecosystem. The framework defines a common language that allows Consent Management Platforms (CMPs), publishers and advertising technology companies to exchange consent information. TCF 2.2 is a significant update from version 2.0 and places greater emphasis on transparency and user control. The framework enables the generation of a TC String, an encoded string that contains a user's complete consent status, including purposes, vendors and legal bases. This ensures that every party in the advertising chain knows which processing activities are permitted.
Publishers and website owners displaying programmatic advertisements
Consent Management Platforms (CMPs) managing consent for the advertising chain
Demand-side platforms (DSPs) and supply-side platforms (SSPs)
Ad exchanges and advertising networks operating in the EU
Data management platforms (DMPs) building user profiles for advertising
Any vendor registered in the IAB Global Vendor List
CMPs must display a standardized user interface that clearly presents the purposes of data processing and the involved vendors. Users must be able to give or refuse consent per purpose and per vendor.
After recording the consent choice, a TC String must be generated containing the complete consent status. This string is passed to all parties in the advertising chain via the CMP API.
TCF 2.2 no longer allows the use of legitimate interest as a legal basis for the purposes of advertising profiling and creating personalized advertising profiles. Explicit consent is always required for this.
The framework defines specific purposes and special features for which consent must be requested, each with a standardized description that is understandable to end users.
All technology companies that want to receive consent signals must register in the IAB Global Vendor List (GVL) and indicate for which purposes they process data.
Users must be able to easily withdraw their consent at any time. The option to change preferences must be permanently and easily accessible on the website.
The TCF is a self-regulatory industry framework, not a legal obligation in itself. However, non-compliance can lead to exclusion from the IAB ecosystem, resulting in loss of access to major advertising networks and programmatic advertising. Additionally, non-compliant consent processing can lead to violations of the GDPR and ePrivacy Directive, with fines of up to 20 million euros or 4% of global annual turnover.
Consentr automates IAB TCF 2.2 compliance so you can focus on your business.
Consentr is an officially registered CMP with IAB Europe and has a CMP ID, meaning TC Strings we generate are recognized by the entire advertising ecosystem.
Consentr automatically generates correct TC Strings based on your visitors' consent choices and makes them available via the standard CMP API.
Our solution automatically synchronizes with the latest version of the IAB Global Vendor List, so all vendors and their purposes are always displayed up to date.
Visitors can indicate their preferences per TCF purpose and per vendor, fully in line with the TCF 2.2 specifications.
Consentr automatically communicates consent signals to all connected DSPs, SSPs and ad exchanges via the standardized TCF API.
As a publisher, you can easily set publisher restrictions via Consentr to limit the legal basis or access of specific vendors for certain purposes.
The TCF is not a law, but an industry standard. However, it is de facto mandatory if you want to display programmatic advertisements, because most major advertising platforms (including Google) require publishers to use a TCF-certified CMP.
TCF 2.2 differs from version 2.0 in important ways. The main change is that legitimate interest may no longer be used as a legal basis for advertising profiling and personalization. Additionally, the descriptions of purposes have been clarified and there are stricter transparency requirements for CMPs.
The TCF and Google Consent Mode v2 are complementary systems. The TCF manages consent for the broader advertising ecosystem, while Google Consent Mode v2 specifically handles consent signals for Google services. Consentr supports both frameworks simultaneously.
No, you only need to show the vendors that are actually active on your website. Consentr automatically detects which vendors are relevant and only shows these in the consent interface, keeping the experience clear for your visitors.