The EDAA Trust Seal

Companies that participate in the European Self-Regulatory Programme on OBA have to go through various steps in order to highlight their compliance with the EU Principles on OBA.

After self-certifying their compliance, companies have to go complete an independent certification of compliance with one of the four EDAA-approved Certification Providers. The goal is to ensure that companies not only state that they provide transparency, choice and control for consumers’ online ad preferences, but that this is independently verified. This is a layer of accountability that is beneficial for both consumers and the online advertising industry as a whole.

The Certification Providers are approved by the EDAA as offering credible and efficient solutions for company certification, and may therefore grant (and withdraw) the EDAA Trust Seal based on compliance with the Programme. They are fully independent of the industry and the EDAA. The requirement of the certification by an independent body is a key element of the Programme resulting from initial discussions and scoping through the self-regulatory approach with the European Commission, in order to ensure that Self-Regulation can deliver concrete and substantial results for consumers.

Following a comprehensive 30-day monitoring period, successful companies are awarded with the EDAA Trust Seal (pictured below), highlighting good standing and responsibility to the business community and consumers.