2018 is set to be a year of disruption for the advertising industry. While fighting against fake news, invalid traffic, and a lack of transparency, the industry has another challenge to address: GDPR. Brands and agencies are coming together to understand the implications of the new regulation and how to comply with it; frameworks like the IAB’s GDPR transparency consent framework have been published. But how are technology partners gearing up for the change? In this collective Q&A, dataxu, Rubicon Project, Sizmek, Adform, Quantcast, and AppNexus are sharing their plans and preparations for GDPR, with a focus on finding out how companies expect GDPR to affect availability of data for advertising.

While every company is working towards their own plans, there is a unanimous view that an amazing opportunity lies under the new regulation: GDPR will help calm consumers’ concerns about their personal data. The regulation will help the industry create a more clear, open interaction with consumers and, ultimately, improve transparency across the ecosystem. We asked some of the industry’s leading experts a number of questions relating to GDPR regulations. Here’s a snapshot of the different preparations and expectations out there at the moment.

ExchangeWire: When did you begin preparing for GDPR and what were some specific actions you took both for your own internal compliance, as well as for your platform/services?

Zareena Javed, Corporate Counsel, dataxu: “dataxu began preparations two years ago, engaging deeply with our counsel in the EU. We developed a detailed project plan that initially began with a data-mapping exercise across our platform, HR, IT, and marketing groups. A cross-functional team called ‘Team Voltron’ has worked diligently on our project plan and will be ready in time for May’s deadline.”