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UID2 Overview for Publishers

Maintain audience targeting in the ever-changing advertising industry for better impression monetization and more relevance.

Publishers

As a publisher, you can benefit from the cross-device presence of Unified ID 2.0 (UID2) and take advantage of a consistent identity fabric on all your inventory.

Learn about benefits, workflow, documentation, and other resources for publishers adopting UID2, as well as instructions for getting started.

Benefits of UID2 for Publishers

Here are just some of the intended benefits for publishers integrating with UID2:

  • Addressable audience targeting on desktop, mobile, and CTV with a single identifier.
  • Frequency management across devices.
  • More relevant content recommendations.
  • The ability to provide personalized ad experiences with relevant content.
  • The ability to offer opt-out, with the goal of improving consumer privacy controls.

Workflow for Publishers

The following steps provide a high-level outline of the workflow intended for organizations that propagate UID2 tokens to the bid stream via SSPsfor example, identity providers, publishers, and SSO providers. Publishers can choose to work with an SSO provider or an independent ID provider that is interoperable with UID2 and can handle the UID2 integration on behalf of publishers.

  1. A user visits a publisher website, mobile app, or CTV app.

  2. The publisher explains the value exchange of the open internet and asks the user to provide an email address or phone number, by login or other means.

  3. Once the user has provided an email address or phone number, the publisher sends it to the UID2 Operator via an SDK or direct API integration.

    A publisher can authorize an SSO provider or identity provider to pass DII and privacy settings on their behalf.

  4. The UID2 Operator:

    • Takes the email or phone number.
    • Performs the salt, hash, and encryption process.
    • Returns the UID2 token.
  5. The publisher stores the UID2 token to share with SSPs during real-time bidding.

    • Server-side: The publisher stores the token in a mapping table, DMP, data lake, or other server-side application.
    • Client-side: The publisher stores the token in a client-side app or in the user’s browser as a first-party cookie.
  6. The publisher retrieves the UID2 token from storage.

  7. The publisher sends the UID2 token to the SSP.

  8. The SSP puts the bid request, with the UID2 token, into the bid stream.

Publisher Workflow

Getting Started

To get started, follow these steps:

  1. Request access to UID2 by filling out the form on the Request Access page.

  2. Identify the properties that you want to integrate with UID2.

  3. Sign the UID2 contract.

  4. Determine whether you want a client-side or server-side integration, and tell your UID2 contact. (GWH_KK new page coming that we will link to)

  5. Receive the UID2 credentials (UID2 Credentials).

  6. Build your integration to UID2 via an SDK or direct integration with the UID2 APIs, using the applicable documentation.

    note

    Be sure to encrypt request messages to UID2. For details, see Encrypting Requests and Decrypting Responses.

  7. Test:

    • Work with SSPs to properly pass UID2s in bid requests.
    • Confirm that UID2s are being generated and passed correctly in requests.
  8. Go live.

Implementation Resources

The following documentation resources are available for publishers to implement UID2:

Web Integrations

The following resources are available for publisher web integrations.

Integration TypeDocumentationContent DescriptionAudience
PrebidPrebid.js Express Integration GuideA guide for publishers who want to request UID2 tokens client-side, which is the easiest implementation approach, and choose to have Prebid.js manage the following:
  • Token generation and token refresh.
  • Passing the tokens into the RTB bid stream.
Publishers
JavaScript Client-Side IntegrationJavaScript Express Integration GuideA guide for publishers who want to integrate with UID2 using only client-side JavaScript changes, which is the easiest implementation approach.
The UID2 SDK for JavaScript manages token generation and token refresh automatically.
Publishers
PrebidPrebid.js Advanced Integration GuideA guide for publishers who want to integrate with UID2 and generate UID2 tokens to be passed by Prebid.js in the RTB bid stream, but want to generate tokens server-side: for example, publishers who are using a Private Operator.Publishers
JavaScript Client-Side IntegrationJavaScript Standard Integration GuideA publisher guide covering standard web integration scenarios that use the UID2 SDK for JavaScript and require tokens to be generated on the server side and passed to the publisher web pages.Publishers
Server-Side IntegrationPublisher Integration Guide, Server-OnlyA guide for publishers who do not use the UID2 SDK for JavaScript.Publishers
Publisher/SSP Integration with GAMGoogle Ad Manager Secure Signals Integration GuideA guide covering the additional steps needed for publishers using UID2 with the Google Ad Manager Secure Signals feature (previously known as Encrypted Signals for Publishers, ESP).Publishers

Mobile Integrations

The following resources are available for publisher integrations supporting Android or iOS devices.

Integration TypeDocumentationContent DescriptionAudience
AndroidUID2 SDK for Android Reference GuideAndroid SDK reference for publishers who want to establish client identity using UID2 and retrieve advertising tokens on Android devices.Publishers
iOSUID2 SDK for iOS Reference GuideiOS SDK reference is for publishers who want to establish client identity using UID2 and retrieve advertising tokens on iOS devices.Publishers

Prebid Integrations

The following resources are available for publishers integrating with Google Ad Manager.

Integration TypeDocumentationContent DescriptionAudience
PrebidPrebid.js Express Integration GuideA guide for publishers who want to request UID2 tokens client-side, which is the easiest implementation approach, and choose to have Prebid.js manage the following:
  • Token generation and token refresh.
  • Passing the tokens into the RTB bid stream.
Publishers
PrebidPrebid.js Advanced Integration GuideA guide for publishers who want to integrate with UID2 and generate UID2 tokens to be passed by Prebid.js in the RTB bid stream, but want to generate tokens server-side: for example, publishers who are using a Private Operator.Publishers

The following resources are available for publishers integrating with Google Ad Manager.

Integration TypeDocumentationContent DescriptionAudience
Publisher/SSP Integration with GAMGoogle Ad Manager Secure Signals Integration GuideA guide covering the additional steps needed for publishers using UID2 with the Google Ad Manager Secure Signals feature (previously known as Encrypted Signals for Publishers, ESP).Publishers
GMA for AndroidUID2 GMA Plugin for Android Integration GuideA guide that enables publishers using the Google Mobile Ads (GMA) SDK to include UID2 tokens in ad requests from their Android apps.Publishers
GMA for iOSUID2 GMA Plugin for iOS Integration GuideA guide that enables publishers using the Google Mobile Ads (GMA) SDK to include UID2 tokens in ad requests from their iOS apps.Publishers
IMA for AndroidUID2 IMA Plugin for Android Integration GuideA guide that enables publishers using the Google Interactive Media Ads (IMA) SDK to include UID2 tokens in ad requests from their Android apps.Publishers
IMA for iOSUID2 IMA Plugin for iOS Integration GuideA guide that enables publishers using the Google Interactive Media Ads (IMA) SDK to include UID2 tokens in ad requests from their iOS apps.Publishers

FAQs for Publishers

For a list of frequently asked questions for publishers using the UID2 framework, see FAQs for Publishers.