IAB Tech Lab’s Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PETs) Working Group Releases Comprehensive Guidance on Differential Privacy

Today, IAB Tech Lab announced the release of their Differential Privacy Guidance, a document developed by the PETs Working Group designed to empower all stakeholders in the digital media ecosystem with the knowledge and tools needed to evaluate and implement emerging Privacy Enhancing Tools (PETs) effectively.  

As the industry faces third party cookie deprecation, the guidance serves as a critical resource for publishers and advertisers as they use alternative solutions that are built to protect consumer identity and personal data in business applications. Public commentary will be open until December 14, 2023, and can be provided directly to the IAB Tech Lab or to IAB Canada as consolidated market feedback. 

“Differential Privacy” is a key privacy enhancing technology that provides a mathematical guarantee of privacy. The document demystifies the term and provides concrete guidance on its definition, applications, and real-world applicability to digital advertising. It highlights specific use cases, helping readers understand where differential privacy can be effectively deployed and how to assess suitability.  

Differential Privacy Guidance offers the online advertising industry: 

  • A practical understanding of where and how differential privacy can be effectively applied.  
  • Empowerment through knowledge to make informed choices when considering differential privacy-backed products.  
  • Ensuring that resources are appropriately aligned towards productive use cases that highlight the value of using privacy enhancing technology.  

“The online advertising industry is faced with the reality of completely overhauling methods of addressing audiences as we approach full cookie independence” said Sonia Carreno, President of IAB Canada, “this important body of work from the IAB Tech Lab is both timely and helpful as publishers and advertisers make sense of PETs and their critical place in the new tech stack.” 

Please feel free to post any comments or questions within our Slack Channel or reach out to Councils to participate in the discussion.