After years of flying under the radar, the ad tech industry is having a privacy reckoning. — “The future of advertising starts with privacy and together these technologies promise long term sustainable foundations that build privacy and data security in digital channels”. — IAB Tech Lab, Time to Build for Privacy (Feb 7, 2022) In early February, in a decision that will have major implications for the global ad tech sector, the Belgian Data Protection Authority found that IAB Europe’s Transparency & Consent Framework (aka “TCF”) violates GDPR data protection standards. IAB Europe was hit with a €250,000 fine and given a six months’ deadline to address the issues flagged by the Belgian DPA.