This post was most recently updated on January 21st, 2026
The IAB Tech Lab is testing blockchain protocols for managing user data consent. LiveRamp developed a blockchain protocol called PrivacyChain and donated it to the IAB Tech Lab and is currently up for public review. Find out more about this development in the video below.
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For digital publishers, the complexity of the modern ad supply chain has created a paradox: while you have more data than ever, you also have less visibility into how that data is exposed. Beyond the obvious concerns of GDPR and CCPA compliance, there are “hidden” privacy risks embedded directly into the creative process that can compromise user trust and damage your reputation before a campaign even goes live.
One of the most overlooked vulnerabilities lies in unsecured creative testing and geo-compliance. When publishers and ad ops teams verify ads, they often do so from unsecured networks or static IP addresses that inadvertently leak internal data to third-party vendors. Furthermore, without proper encryption, the sensitive bidstream data exchanged during these tests can be intercepted, revealing campaign strategies to competitors or bad actors.
To mitigate these risks, forward-thinking publishers are moving beyond basic “incognito modes” and adopting enterprise-grade privacy tools. A critical part of this defense strategy is the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to anonymize the testing environment. By routing traffic through encrypted tunnels, publishers can verify how ads appear to users in different regions without exposing their own internal network infrastructure.
However, the effectiveness of this strategy depends entirely on the breadth of your virtual reach. To ensure your ads are compliant and rendering correctly across every target market without leaking your location data, you need access to a vast network of worldwide VPN locations. This allows your team to simulate authentic user traffic from specific cities and countries, ensuring that a campaign targeting Tokyo is validated as if you were in Japan, all while keeping your actual location and data footprint invisible to third-party trackers.
IAB recently announced a blockchain protocol that would enable companies to manage consumer data consent.
The blockchain protocol is called PrivacyChain.
Code for PrivacyChain was developed by LiveRamp who donated it to the IAB Tech Lab.
It gives consumers more control over their personal information.
Once a consumer opts in, data becomes available to advertisers, retailers and other partners that serve ads.
By using the PrivacyChain portal, users can opt out of marketing and data points such as name, gender, location and more.
The blockchain ledger provides exact details on when and where data was shared.
Currently, the PrivacyChain specification is under review for public comment.
The goal of the project is to support privacy legislation coming in the near future.
PrivacyChain will simplify the process of proving company compliance of GDPR and CCPA.
The hope for PrivacyChain is to create a universal portal where consumers can provide consent for data used worldwide.
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