ADMaP stands for Attribution Data Matching Protocol and refers to the IAB Tech Lab initiative, which enables companies on the Supply and Demand side to measure and share data regarding conversions in a privacy-preserving way.
What is ADMaP?
From a technical standpoint, the introduced ADMaP specification implies the use of IAB Tech Lab’s PETs, like PSI (Private Set Intersection) and TEE (Trusted Execution Environment), to ensure the privacy and security of End Users’ personal data elements across the key three steps, i.e. identity mapping across the publisher’s and advertiser’s datasets, attribution calculation/measurement and generation of aggregated attribution reports.
Basically, the ADMaP specification is designed to act as a somewhat data clean room interoperability standard, providing a framework for publishers’ and advertisers’ collaboration with various data clean room providers and other tech partners to better measure conversion data in online ad campaigns across multiple ad channels, mediums and platforms.
How It Works
The ADMaP workflow includes the two main components, i.e. a mapping and an attribution protocol, where the so-called “Mapping service” is designed to create a common identity space between datasets on the Supply and Demand side to join data records and actually perform attribution measurement, whereas the “Attribution service” handles the compilation of aggregated attribution reports, applying the determined privacy-preserving techniques.
The latter, in particular, are aimed at securing the privacy of End Users’ identities in the compiled dataset, and the particular personally-identifiable data elements.
Benefits vs. Challenges of ADMaP Adoption
On the bright side, the adoption of ADMaP should improve the efficiency of attribution measurement, while also helping to ensure the more responsible, yet transparent data sharing practices between digital businesses.
On the other hand, the implementation process implies numerous technical complexities, hence requiring extra operational effort from all parties involved.
In view of this, as of Q1 2025 the perspectives of the industry-wide ADMaP adoption, currently available for public comment, remain unclear.