Open source, interoperable ID pushes closer to independent governance
LOS ANGELES — Prebid.org, the independent organization designed to ensure and promote fair and transparent marketplaces across the industry, has agreed to serve as operator of Unified ID 2.0. In this role, Prebid.org will be operator of the Unified ID 2.0 technical infrastructure, which includes operating hardware and software, as well as administering and monitoring the key components of the service. Prebid.org’s involvement will ensure the impartial access and transparent operation of the community identifier.
“Unified ID 2.0 was built on a very simple premise – an ID using logins that’s interoperable with other proposed ID solutions – in a way that improves consumer control while preserving the value exchange of relevant advertising”
Unified ID 2.0 is a next generation identity solution that is an open-source digital framework, and it is the result of broad collaboration among publishers, buyers and technology providers across the industry. It serves as an alternative to third-party cookies that aims to improve consumer transparency, privacy and control, while preserving the value exchange of relevant advertising across channels and devices. The Trade Desk introduced Unified ID 2.0 but will relinquish oversight of the initiative to non-profit industry associations such as Prebid.org.
“From its inception, the goal of Unified ID 2.0 has been to provide a community asset operated by the industry as a whole and Prebid.org’s role as operator solidifies this intent,” said Tom Kershaw, Chairman of Prebid.org and Chief Technology Officer of Magnite. “The collaboration and effort from the entire industry has shown our commitment to protecting consumer privacy while maintaining a fair and transparent marketplace. We look forward to maintaining a standard of excellence around Unified ID 2.0.”
“Unified ID 2.0 was built on a very simple premise – an ID using logins that’s interoperable with other proposed ID solutions – in a way that improves consumer control while preserving the value exchange of relevant advertising,” said Dave Pickles, co-founder, Chief Technology Officer at The Trade Desk and Prebid.org board member. “Prebid.org‘s commitment will ensure independent third party management of Unified ID 2.0 and that it will continue to be developed, based on open source principles, in the best interests of the marketing industry and its consumers.”
The core goals of Unified ID 2.0 are as follows:
- Non-proprietary: All constituents in the advertising ecosystem that abide by a code of conduct can access it.
- Independent Governance: It will be operated by unbiased third parties, with a transition expected in mid-2021. The Trade Desk will provide Prebid.org the working code and framework during the transition.
- Secure: It leverages multiple layers of security, cryptography, and encryption to ensure user data is secured.
- Open Sourced: The related code will be open sourced.
- Interoperable: It is accessible to all constituents in the advertising ecosystem – including DSPs, SSPs, data providers, measurement providers, and identity services – who abide by the code of conduct.
Prebid will start participating in generating Unified ID 2.0’s for the open web later this year.
For more information about Unified ID 2.0 please visit https://www.thetradedesk.com/us/about-us/industry-initiatives/unified-id-solution-2-0. For questions, please email marketing-team@prebid.org.
About Prebid.org
Formed in September of 2017, Prebid.org is an independent organization designed to ensure and promote fair, transparent, and efficient header bidding across the industry. Funded by dues-paying members, it manages the open source projects Prebid.js, Prebid Mobile, Prebid Server, Prebid Video, Prebid Native, and others. Prebid.org is open to all companies who are part of the programmatic ecosystem, from ad tech vendors to publishers and others. We believe that, working together, we can drive standardized, transparent technology for advertising that will make it easier for buyers and sellers to transact at scale in a fully programmatic ecosystem.
