• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, December 11, 2017

An industry watchdog plans to begin enforcing the Digital Advertising Alliance's privacy code for video ads in April of 2018, more than two years after the group issued guidelines for placing icons in video.

"Because the digital video market has enjoyed a steep and dramatic growth rate and is now mature, the Accountability Program believes that consumers should have the benefit of enhanced notice," the Online Interest-Based Advertising Accountability Program said Monday in a compliance warning.

The privacy code requires companies involved in behavioral targeting to display in-ad symbols like the AdChoices icon (a small blue triangle that says AdChoices), which aim to inform people about online tracking and tell them how to opt out of receiving behaviorally targeted ads.

"As industry migrates from static advertising to a greater and greater reliance on video advertising in both the desktop and mobile realm, we underscore that companies are expected to undertake the effort necessary to provide consumers with transparency and consumer control as articulated by the DAA Principles," the accountability program said Monday.

In November of 2015, the self-regulatory group DAA issued technical specs for matters like the size and placement of the icon. Those guides say that in-ad icons can be placed in any of the four corners of video ad units -- a contrast to guidelines for banner ads, which generally call for icons in the upper right-hand corner.

The accountability program said Monday that it will "work with companies on a compliance solution that is commercially reasonable given their business model and technology."

It added that companies with specific problems with compliance should request an extension of the April deadline.