Google offers GDPR-compliant advertising option

Eight months after committing toward complying with Europe’s forthcoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Google has announced a new means by which it will distance itself from any liability around non-compliance.

"Before May, we will launch a solution to support publishers that want to show non-personalised ads, and we are working with industry groups, including IAB Europe, to explore proposed consent solutions for publishers," said Carlo D’Asaro Biondo, president of EMEA partnerships at Google in a blog post.

The solution is optional for advertisers, agencies, and publishers, with Google leaving the final decision in the hands of the user and thereby distancing itself from the legal repercussions by way of an updated set of terms and conditions that removes Google from being liable.

#GDPR a huge issue for Asia: 'If you don't know about it, you're screwed' - David Porter, Unilever #Campaign360

— Faaez Samadi (@faaezsamadi) March 20, 2018

"You've got 65 days," David Porter, VP of global media at Unilever, said while participating in a panel discussion at Campaign360 last week. "The legal opinion is divided about whether it's going to affect European citizens worldwide or worldwide citizens that are residents of the European Union."

Under GDPR, companies with customers or site visitors that reside in Europe must enforce an opt-in process and a consent flow that allows them to use data for marketing and targeting or risk fines.