DAA begins ‘onboarding’ publishers seeking to use its CCPA opt-out tools

The Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) is now rolling out “onboarding” for companies seeking to use its California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) opt-out tools. The DAA previously announced the initiative last month; it will “go live” on January 1, 2020 when CCPA formally takes effect.

Ad choices redux. Modeled on the long-standing ad choices icon and approach, the DAA opt-out tools will enable consumers to block the sale or transfer of their personal data “across all of the DAA participating companies integrated into the new tools, from a single website or app.” There will also be a parallel system for mobile apps and in-app advertising.

While the DAA initiative won’t cover the entire universe of publisher sites and platforms, DAA members include the IAB, American Association of Advertising Agencies, American Advertising Federation, Association of National Advertisers, Better Business Bureaus National Programs and the Network Advertising Initiative. That coalition of organizations suggests the DAA’s mechanism will be widely adopted.

DAA tools are one piece of a larger solution. Regardless of whether the DAA tools are used, every publisher meeting the statutory criteria provided by CCPA is required to present consumers with “a clear and conspicuous link on the business’s Internet homepage, titled ‘Do Not Sell My Personal Information,’ to an Internet Web page that enables a consumer, or a person authorized by the consumer, to opt-out of the sale of the consumer’s personal information.”

The DAA reminds publishers and other stakeholders that adopting its opt-out notification and other tools is not a substitute for specific legal advice about CCPA compliance — there are other requirements beyond the consumer-data opt-out provisions. The organization intends to offer more information on a new site: privacyrights.info. It says that companies interested in using the DAA tools can get more information there but the current content is directed primarily at consumers.

Why we care. The DAA is one of a number of entities seeking to help companies address CCPA. The IAB is also offering a compliance framework for publishers and technology providers. It’s generally complementary to what DAA is doing. There are also a number of private software companies offering compliance solutions, such as TrustArc and LiveRamp, among many others.

Even though CCPA kicks in on January 1, 2020 there won’t be any enforcement until July 1 at the earliest. That means there’s still time to prepare even if you haven’t started. But don’t wait until the end of Q1. If you need more background, context and advice, start here.