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In November, three themes stood out among others: practical lessons from Trusted Server, perspectives sparked by the AdCP protocol on the role of AI agents in buying and selling advertising, and interpretations of the EU’s newly published Digital Omnibus package and their impact on publishers. In this summary, we outline what these developments mean in practice: how Trusted Server is progressing, the opportunities AdCP could bring to buyers’ and sellers’ workflows, and the implications of the new EU data, consent, and AI regulatory framework.
Trusted Server: early observations, publisher implications and what we’ve learned so far
Trusted Server is an open-source server-side solution developed by IAB Tech Lab.
It could shift more control to publishers outside the browser, which is a strong direction. But like any early framework, there are still technical wrinkles to iron out. Many publishers are unlikely to take on a setup this heavy entirely on their own, which makes a reliable partner important. That’s also why we’ve taken a close look at Trusted Server, and we see a clear role for ourselves in helping publishers navigate the server-side complexity.
It’s still far too early to say whether Trusted Server will become the next big standard. Adoption will decide its fate. For now, we’re simply supporting the work, testing what fits, and listening to what publishers actually want.
Here’s what we’ve learned so far:
- Our Relevant Yield platform already aligns well with the Trusted Server model, with most functionality carrying over with only light adjustments.
- Because Trusted Server is fully server-side, publishers need strong Prebid Server support, which we have provided for the past five years.
- Our Header Bidding analytics are already largely compliant, keeping the transition straightforward for current users.
- Publisher interest is still relatively quiet, as expected for a brand-new framework competing with louder industry trends.
- Much of the current development focuses on signal verification, ensuring the buy side can trust the data they receive.
- While some concerns remain around bidders that are not yet server-side compatible, most major bidders already support the model, and the rest will need to catch up.
Ronny Linder - CPO, Partner and IAB Tach Lab’s Trusted Server Taskforce’s Member
What do you think about the AdCP protocol and its potential impact on programmatic advertising, as well as the way buyers and sellers work?
AdCP is an open-standard protocol designed to let AI agents act like buyers and sellers in advertising speak the same language: a kind of “universal ads API” built on the Model Context Protocol (MCP) framework. Market reaction has been cautiously optimistic. Many in adtech call it the “OpenRTB for the AI era”, liking the idea of reducing platform-specific integrations and improving transparency while warning that adoption will take time and major players may drag their feet.
If we focus on the actual idea for the protocol to especially support and work alongside openRTB, there are clear benefits to be found. Too often, we struggle with getting deals or creatives to work and have to go back and forth to find the solution to get everything working. This could potentially be a place where discussion using shared protocols between agents could solve many inefficiencies. It could also facilitate creating various kinds of first-party data targeting options more easily and scalably available. Of course, there is still a big question of trust in testing new methods of targeting, but this could at least facilitate the discovery and technical implementation when not as established methods are being tested.
Even the ‘zero UI’ approach seen in the launch webinar was interesting to an extent. Do I believe all media buying will happen through chat interfaces and agentic protocol, at least in the near future? No. But I certainly think it could make it easier, especially for smaller advertisers, to buy advertising. It could also facilitate automating processes within systems, but I have a hard time seeing AdCP with ‘zero ui’ user interfaces overtaking OpenRTB and big-time media buying/selling anytime soon.
So to sum this up, I can easily see AdCP or something similar streamlining many manual troubleshooting and more strenuous work in media buying and selling. It could also finally make the open web programmatic buying a bit more open, also to the small advertisers whose only real avenue to it has really been Google Ads, even with its clunkiness for the longest time.
Tuukka Aaltonen - Project Manager and Vice Chair of IAB Finland’s Data & Martech Working Group
The EU’s Digital Omnibus package was published on 19 November 2025, but what does it actually mean for publishers? Is this genuine regulatory easing or simply a reorganisation of existing rules? And what happens next?
The European Commission’s newly published Digital Omnibus package aims to streamline the EU’s digital regulatory landscape. While the public messaging emphasises “simplification” and “reducing administrative burden,” the package does not amount to deregulation: the core structures of the GDPR and the AI Act remain intact. Instead, the legislation introduces clarifications and new procedures that will also shape publishers’ day-to-day reality.
In data protection, the most visible changes concern cookie governance. GDPR will be clarified to improve harmonised interpretation across Member States, and consent management will gradually shift to browser- and operating-system-level settings. This may reduce pop-up fatigue but also influence ad delivery, measurement and consent strategies. Narrower definitions of personal data and a broader legitimate-interest basis may increase non-consent inventory and revive specific modelling techniques, emphasising the importance of contextual advertising, first-party data and intelligent optimisation.
For the AI Act, the most significant change concerns timing. The application of high-risk system requirements will be postponed by up to 16 months and linked to the readiness of the necessary standards and tools. This adjustment is intended to ease practical implementation for technology providers and may indirectly affect the AI-based products publishers use.
Reporting obligations will also be streamlined by merging NIS2, GDPR and DORA notifications into a single reporting channel. Meanwhile, the Data Union Strategy and the European Business Wallet aim to improve access to high-quality data and simplify EU-level digital administration. Their impact on publishers will materialise later, as both require separate technical implementation and Member State adoption.
Next, the Digital Omnibus will move to the European Parliament and the Council for consideration in early 2026. At the same time, the Digital Fitness Check consultation will run until March 2026 and may lead to further changes later in the year. The eventual impact on publishers will depend on how quickly new standards are finalised, how browsers and operating systems implement consent mechanisms and how consistently Member States apply the rules in practice.
Suvi Leino - Head of Marketing