Since being appointed by IAB UK following their initial announcement of the Gold Standard initiative, ABC has completed a robust audit of the internal processes it uses to ensure that businesses comply with the Gold Standard requirements.
IAB UK announced the news of its collaboration with ABC at its Gold Standard 2.0 Townhall event yesterday, along with other developments to date.
Introducing a trusted, independent auditor to support the Gold Standard is one of the key updates being made to the future iteration – Gold Standard 2.0 - which IAB UK intends to launch later in 2020. The purpose of further developing the Standard is to bring added rigour to the certification process, as well as to incorporate steps to address privacy concerns within the digital supply chain.
Tim Elkington, IAB UK’s Chief Digital Officer, explained: “By appointing ABC - an independent third-party auditor - to audit the Gold Standard certification process, we are not only providing assurance of its thoroughness, we are also able to ensure that we put in place internal measures to maintain this level of rigour as the Gold Standard grows and evolves.”
Simon Redlich, Chief Executive at ABC, said: “We’re delighted that IAB UK has appointed ABC to independently review its processes for confirming businesses’ compliance with the Gold Standard requirements. We’re pleased to deliver our extensive auditing experience and support IAB UK’s stated goals to enhance rigour and transparency around this important industry initiative.”
The ABC has played a central role in developing and auditing online standards for nearly 25 years. It’s the auditor of choice for more than 85% of companies choosing to adhere to the JICWEBS DTSG Brand Safety Principles, which is an integral part of the IAB UK Gold Standard.
ABC conducted the world’s first Brand Safety audit back in 2006, and in the same year partnered with the IAB US to create the International IAB/ ABC Spiders and Robots List. It helped launch JICWEBS (the Joint Industry Currency for Web Standards) in 1999. In 2013, ABC’s viewability testing was the first in the world to be performed in a controlled, walled garden environment, says the ABC.
