PubMatic Platform Privacy Policy
This page is about the privacy practices on PubMatic’s Advertising Platform and the personal information it uses to deliver advertising and perform related activities.
Last Updated: November 21, 2024
PubMatic is an advertising technology company that provides a variety of online advertising-related services (see “Who We Are“). Any reference to “you”, “your”, “user(s)”, “individual(s)”, “data subject(s)”, implies the“End User(s)” who accesses websites, apps, or other digital properties that are being monetized through our Ad Services (defined below) so that we may deliver advertising and perform related activities (see “About Us and Our Services”). We want you to be familiar with how we collect, use, and share personal information and how you can exercise the privacy rights and choices available to you. This privacy policy (“Policy” or the “Platform Privacy Policy”) covers the personal information that we may process about you. If you are interested in our corporate and website privacy policy, which governs the personal information PubMatic collects about individuals when they visit, use, or interact with: (i) www.pubmatic.com and other websites operated by us, including PubMatic’s Client interfaces (the “Websites”); (ii) our social media pages (our “Social Media Pages”) and (iii) our events, sales and marketing activities (collectively, “PubMatic Properties”), please review ourWebsite Privacy Policy. If you are interested in our applicant privacy practices, please review ourCareers Privacy Policy.
Your Privacy Choices
Please visithttps://pubmatic.com/legal/opt-out/ to go directly to the interest-based advertising opt-outs we offer.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:We recognize that reading and understanding privacy practices can be difficult and time-consuming. While we recommend that you read this document in its entirety, to make this process easier for you, we have taken steps to simplify it and provide the following quick links to make it easier to navigate.
—
To get in touch with us, please see the “Contacting Us” section of this document.
Please note the following terms that are used in this summary:
If we (or our Media Buyers) can identify a browser or device, it increases the value of that advertisement to provide more content for you to enjoy. To opt out of our use of such technologies for interest-based advertising purposes, please follow the instructions for opting out, as described in “Your Opt-Out Choices” below. See PubMatic’sPlatform Cookie and Other Similar Technologies Policy for more information on how PubMatic uses cookies and other similar technologies.
Our Ad Services may also automatically collect the following information and associate it with one of the identifiers described above (also User Information:
User Information we receive from third parties
We may also combine, merge and/or augment the User Information we collect about you with information received from Publishers and other Clients (such as our data providers) and may include:
Targeted Advertising.The method by which we predict likely commercial interests (e.g., sports or travel) based on activities across websites, mobile apps, and other Digital Properties over time. We will also supplement User Information with additional information we receive from third parties, such as third-party advertising segments or audiences, to allow us to customize and more effectively tailor the ads we display to End Users and to optimize the display of ads (including limiting exposure to less relevant ads).
Location Based Advertising.Location-based advertising, services, and content delivered in real-time using your device’s physical location (where permitted by law).
ID Syncs.We may disclose cookie values to other advertising technology platforms so that they may match their identifier to our identifier.
Fraud Detection & Prevention (Security).Identify invalid ad impressions, clicks, installs, or ad queries, protect us and our Publishers from fraudulent behavior, and protect the security of the Ad Services.
Business Operations & Improving the Ad Services.These purposes include several processing activities supporting our ability to run the business for our Clients, such as to:
The following table illustrates the categories of User Information processed for each business purpose, the lawful basis under which we process User Information, and the categories of recipients of User Information where we engage third parties to augment our ability to provide the Ad Services.
Sub processors & Consultants
We may disclose User Information in accordance with applicable laws, both within and outside of an individual’s country of residence for specific situations which include:
Cross-device and Cross-app targeting
Cross-device and cross-app targeting are strategies employed in digital advertising to effectively connect and interact with individuals across multiple devices and different mobile applications. These strategies aim to enhance the advertising experience by delivering more relevant and personalized ads to you, regardless of the devices or mobile apps you use.
Our Publishers, Media Buyers, and Clients may use information that we share with them to establish connections among related devices (such as smartphones, tablets, and computers) for targeted advertising, analytics, and reporting purposes. They may create a match between your devices if you log into the same online service on multiple devices or web browsers, or if your devices share similar attributes that support an inference that they are used by you or someone in your household. For example, Media Buyers may deliver ads on a tablet based on activities you engaged in on your smartphone. To opt out of cross-device targeting practices, please follow the instructions located at “Opting Out of Cross-Device Targeting.”
Our Publishers and Clients also may use information about your activity across multiple, unaffiliated third-party mobile applications for targeted advertising, analytics, and reporting purposes. For example, if you use a travel app, these third parties may display travel-related ads to you on other, unrelated apps.
To opt out of cross-app targeting practices, please follow the instructions located at “Opting Out of Interest-Based Advertising for Mobile Advertising Identifiers” in the “Your Privacy Choices” section of theOpt Out webpage.
The following table lists the main categories third party service providers we engage to process your User Information and partners with whom information is exchanged, the nature of the services or role they provide, and the types of User Information they receive in order to provide these services / fulfill their role.
| Category of Service Provider or Partner | Nature of Services / Information Sharing | User Information |
| Publishers | We may disclose data collected through our Ad Services to our Publishers to allow them to analyse the effectiveness and performance of our Ad Services and to offer targeted ad inventory to our Media Buyer Clients. | Browser and Device Information; Behavioral Information; Ad Interaction; Geolocation; Audience Segments; ID Sync Data |
| Media Buyers | We may share data we collect in connection with our Ad Services with our Media Buyer Clients for purposes relevant to our business relationships with them, such as for billing purposes, dispute resolution, or fraud prevention. This data is also allows them to make decisions regarding buying advertising inventory on Publishers’ Digital Properties and other websites and applications; to analyze the effectiveness and performance of their advertising campaigns via our services; and to enable our Media Buyer Clients to provide you with more personalized content. | Browser and Device Information; Behavioral Information; Ad Interaction; Partner Provided Information; Geolocation; Audience Segments; ID Sync Data; Business Administration Information. |
| Other Clients | We may share certain data we collect in connection with our Ad Services with brands, agencies and other interested third parties to help them better identify and validate commercial opportunities, promote transparency, and protect against fraud. | Browser and Device Information; Behavioral Information; Ad Interaction; Publisher Provided Information; Geolocation; Audience Segments; ID Sync Data |
| Attribution and Analytics Partners | We may share data (such as cookie ID, mobile device ID, or other unique identifier) with our (or our Publisher or Media Buyer’s) attribution and analytics partners to validate and measure the success and effectiveness of ads delivered via the Platform. | Browser and Device Information; Behavioral Information; Ad Interaction; Partner Provided Information; Geolocation; Audience Segments; ID Sync Data |
| IT service providers | IT service providers work on behalf of or with us to allow us to operate the Ad Services, and typically provide services such as data storage, data processing services, hosting services, and technical support. | Browser and Device Information; Behavioral Information; Ad Interaction; Publisher Provided Information; Geolocation; Audience Segments; ID Sync Data |
| Professional service providers | Professional service providers may be persons, companies or professional firms providing us with advice and consulting in areas such as lead management, campaign management, legal services, accountancy services, and fraud prevention. | Potentially all data types. |
Cookies
To opt out of receiving advertising targeted to your interests (including retargeting) from our Ad Services through the use of cookies in your current browser, and for more information on what it means to opt out, please go tohttps://pubmatic.com/legal/opt-out/. Your opt-out choice will be linked to your browser only; therefore, you will need to renew your opt-out choice if you use a new device or browser, or if you clear your browser’s cookies. See PubMatic’sAd Services or “Platform Cookie Policy”for more information on how PubMatic uses cookies and other similar technologies.
Mobile Apps
Your device may also include a feature that allows you to opt in to or out of having certain information collected through mobile apps used for targeted advertising purposes.
Connected TVs
Our Clients and partners may display interest-based advertising on CTVs (also known as smart TVs or connected devices), based on your use of CTVs over time and across non-affiliated CTV apps. To learn more about these practices and how to opt out, please review your connect TV’s settings menu and visithttps://thenai.org/opt-out/connected-tv-choices/.
Industry Opt Outs
We are a member of the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI). We also adhere to the Digital Advertising Alliance’s (DAA) Self-Regulatory Principles for Online Behavioral Advertising and Multi-Site Data, the Application of Self-Regulatory Principles to the Mobile Environment, and the Application of the DAA Principles of Transparency and Control to Data Used Across Devices. PubMatic also adheres to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (“IAB”) Code of Conduct, and actively participates in the IAB Europe Transparency & Consent Framework (TCF 2). We comply with IAB’s Specifications and Policies under vendor identification number 76. Please visitoptout. networkadvertising.org, oroptout.aboutads.info to learn how to exercise choice regarding the collection of information about your online activities over time and across multiple third-party websites, online services, devices, or applications for interest-based advertising purposes.
Some of our Publishers have their own opt-out mechanisms that are linked from their sites, which you should review if you no longer wish to receive targeted advertising from a particular company.
To make a request to exercise your data rights with respect to your User Information, please visit ourDSR Notice Page. We will take steps to verify your request, such as by asking you to provide confirmation that you control the device to which the request relates. We reserve the right to confirm your residence to accurately process your request and will need to confirm your identity to process your requests to exercise your right to know/access, delete, and correct. This is a security measure to, for example, help ensure we do not disclose information to a person who is not entitled to receive it. The identity verification process may vary depending on how you submit your request. We will only ask for information that we process to verify your identity, such as a cookie ID or mobile advertising ID.
Appeals
If we deny your request, you may have the right to appeal our decision by contacting us at pubmaticprivacy[at]pubmatic[.]com. If you have concerns about the result of an appeal, you may contact the attorney general in the state where you reside.
Authorized Agents
If you are submitting a rights request as an authorized agent, you are required to submit proof of your identity, and proof of authorization to make the request, such as a valid power of attorney or signed permission from the individual who is the subject of the request. In some cases, we may ask the individual to confirm they have given you permission to make the request. Please be advised that we cannot process your request if you do not provide us with sufficient detail to allow us to understand and respond to it. If you are an authorized agent seeking to make a request for an individual, please visit ourDSR Notice Page.
Nondiscrimination
We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.
Personal Information that May Be “Shared,” “Sold,” or processed for “Targeted Advertising” & Your Opt-Out Rights under State Privacy Laws
As described in this Platform Privacy Policy, we process information to personalize and deliver ads, and for other ads-related purposes, including to build interest segments. Some of these activities may be considered “sales” or “sharing” of your personal information or using your information for purposes of “targeted advertising” under certain State Privacy Laws. We do not knowingly sell or share personal information about consumers under the age of 18.
If you reside in California, you may also opt out of web-based sales and sharing via our browser cookie by visiting the digital properties of our Clients with a legally-recognized opt-out preference signal enabled, such as the Global Privacy Control.
| Categories of Personal Information | Categories of Recipients |
|
|
Please visitCCPA Privacy Policy
to review our CPRA and Data Broker Metrics
If we have collected and processed your User Information with your consent, then you canwithdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawing your consent will not affect the lawfulness of any processing we conducted prior to your withdrawal, nor will it affect processing of your User Information conducted in reliance on lawful processing grounds other than consent.
If you are located in the EEA or the UK, you may also have the right tocomplain to a Data Protection Authority about our collection and use of your User Information. For more information, please contact your local Data Protection Authority.
Please note that because most of the personal information we store can only identify a particular browser or device, and cannot directly identify you personally, you may need to provide us with additional information to enable us to identify the User Information we hold about you and ensure that we accurately fulfill your request and do not infringe on the privacy rights of other individuals.
If you are located in the EEA, UK or Switzerland, we will protect your User Information when it is transferred outside of your jurisdiction by (i) processing it in compliance with the Data-Privacy Framework (as applicable, defined below); (ii) processing it in a territory that provides an adequate level of protection for User Informationbased on the receiving country’s data protection laws; or (iii) to the extent that the Data Privacy Framework is unavailable and the recipient country has not been deemed to provide adequate protection, implementing appropriate safeguards to protect your User Information, such as requiring the recipient to comply with the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, or another lawful and approved transfer mechanism. Where we transfer User Information originating in the EEA, UK or Switzerland pursuant to a contract incorporating the EU Standard Contractual Clauses or another lawful and approved transfer mechanism, you may request a copy of such transfer mechanism (subject to the removal of confidential or commercially sensitive information).
The Federal Trade Commission has jurisdiction over PubMatic, Inc’s compliance with the Data Privacy Framework. In certain situations, we may be required to disclose User Information in response to lawful requests by public authorities, including to meet national security or law enforcement requirements. In compliance with the Data Privacy Framework, PubMatic, Inc. commits to refer unresolved complaints concerning our handling of User Information received in reliance on EU-U.S. DPF, the UK Extension to the EU-U.S. DPF, and the Swiss-U.S. DPF with our Data Protection Officer at dpo[at]pubmatic[.]com. Additionally, PubMatic commits to refer unresolved complaints concerning our handling of personal data received in reliance on EU-U.S. DPF, the UK Extension to the EU-U.S. DPF, and the Swiss-U.S. DPF to our U.S.-based third-party dispute resolution provider (free of charge), JAMS. If you do not receive timely acknowledgment of your DPF Principles-related complaint from us, or if we have not addressed your DPF Principles-related complaint to your satisfaction, please visit at https://www.jamsadr.com/DPF-Dispute-Resolution for more information or to file a complaint. The services of JAMS are provided at no cost to you.
If you do not receive timely acknowledgment of your DPF Principles-related complaint from us, if we have not addressed your DPF Principles-related complaint to your satisfaction, or we are not able to resolve the issue, individuals have the right to lodge a complaint with their local data privacy authority. For contact details of local Data Protection Authorities, please visit the European Data Protection Board member list (https://www.edpb.europa.eu/about-edpb/about-edpb/members_en) or the UK data protection regulator (https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/).
If you wish to exercise your rights under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) or have any queries in relation to your rights or general privacy matters, please write to: Attn: EEA Contact Representative, PubMatic GmbH, Barbara Strozzilaan 101, 1083 HN Amsterdam Netherlands or pubmaticprivacy[at]pubmatic[.]com.
Under certain conditions, more fully described on the DPF website,https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/framework-article/ANNEX-I-introduction you may be entitled to invoke binding arbitration when other dispute resolution procedures have been exhausted.
The following represents the retention periods of User Information, by data type. For clarity, we will revise these periods as required or permitted by law.
| USER INFORMATION | RETENTION PERIOD |
| Pseudonymous and/or obfuscated identifiers (e.g., Cookies, unique online IDs, mobile device advertising IDs, CTV/OTT ID, IP address, browser and/or device information, hashed emails, ID Syncing data); and Geolocation data) | 20 days |
| Information linked to pseudonymous identifiers (e.g., web browsing history from advertising impressions; ad engagement statistics; digital property engagement analytics; and demographic data) | 120 days |
| Personal data created through our processing (e.g., audience segmentation) | 90 days |
Please note that email communications are not always secure, so please do not include sensitive information in your emails to us.
Residents outside the European Economic Area (EEA):
PubMatic, Inc. c/o Privacy
601 Marshall Street
Redwood City, California 94063, USA
European Economic Area (EEA), and Swiss Residents:
Attn: EEA Representative
PubMatic GmbH
Barbara Strozzilaan 101
1083 HN Amsterdam, Netherlands
UK Residents:
Attn: UK Representative
The Kodak
11 Keeley Street,
London, WC2B 4AN, United Kingdom
To comply with our obligations under EU/ UK data protection legislation, we have appointed a Data Protection Officer (DPO). Our DPO is contactable at dpo[at]pubmatic[.]com or by mail using the details provided above. Who is the controller of my data? For the purposes of EU/UK data protection legislation, PubMatic, Inc is the controller of your User Information.