Publishers Using Google AdSense Face Consent Policy Across EU
- by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, July 27, 2015
The policy will require publishers to implement consent strategies for EU visitors. This means making "reasonable efforts" to disclose and obtain consent to collect any data, as well as share and use that data on any site, app, email publication or other property while using Google products. The same goes for storing and accessing browser-based cookies or other information on the devices of site visitors.
Google has created a landing page, cookiechoices.org, to direct publishers on how to gain content and offer solutions for putting consent mechanisms on Web sites and apps into place. It also suggests text that may be appropriate for the consent message presented to site visitors.
All publishers using third-party advertising services such as Google AdSense that have visitors from the European Union will need to take steps to integrate their preferred platform with the advertising tags on pages to ensure that user preferences are respected.
While Google cannot tell publishers how the Web site or app consent message should read -- because this will largely depend on the individual site and its use of cookies and other information -- the search engine did provide pointers. On Web sites visitors must be notified when using cookies to personalize content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyze site traffic.
Publishers will need to take similar steps for apps. Site visitors will need knowledge of device identifiers to personalize content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyze traffic. For both Web site visitors and apps, users must be notified that identifiers and other information from their device is shared with Google's social media, advertising, and analytics partners.
Publishers using Google Analytics Advertiser Features will be required to follow the Policy requirements for Google Analytics Advertisers features. To comply with the disclosure obligations with respect to Google's use of data, publishers must have the option to display a prominent link to how Google uses data when using partner sites or apps.
WARNING! Google now require Adsense publishers to be fully EU compliant when clicking there cookie based advertisement links. The EU Compliance regulations are very clear and require that the end user must fully understand what the cookie is used for and the full implications of accepting it. As Adsense publishers do not know the inner workings of Google how can they be expected to provide this transparent information. It could have serious legal implications if the cookie information being gathered by Google was passed secretly to large corporations, political organisations or security organisations such as the CIA. There is the possibility that the Adsense publisher could be prosecuted as an accomplice or obtaining personal data by misleading methods. Surely Google should just provide its Adsense users with new code that is handled completely by Google. After all it is Google not the Adsense publishers that control the cookie related to advertisement clicks and any information that the cookie gathers. I am sure that many Adsense publishers do not even know that the click links are even cookies used as to obtain data from their users, but just a method to verify advertisement clicks and directing the user to the appropriate advertiser’s web site. This whole approach by Google to pass the problem onto their Adsense publisher partners sounds very much like a public relations exercise that makes Google look like its complying with new regulations when in actual fact it is doing nothing but passing the buck and liability of its information gathering operation onto others.