Reference / Glossary / Infrastructure and standards
Transparency and Consent Framework
Also: TCF; IAB TCF
IAB Europe's standard for collecting user consent under the GDPR and ePrivacy Directive and transmitting it through the programmatic supply chain as a TC String. TCF version 2.2 is current. The framework has been contested: the Belgian data protection authority found aspects of it unlawful in 2022, and the Court of Justice of the EU ruled in 2024 that the TC String is personal data and IAB Europe a joint controller.
Cite this entry:
Agency Echelon. "Transparency and Consent Framework." Agency Echelon Reference, reviewed September 2026. https://agencyechelon.com/reference/glossary/transparency-and-consent-framework/