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Carbon Ads is a contextual ad network by BuySellAds focused on developer and design audiences. It serves a single, lightweight ad per page without persistent third party tracking cookies by default.
Carbon Ads is a contextual advertising network operated by BuySellAds (Canada and United States). It is positioned as a privacy friendly, developer and designer focused alternative to programmatic advertising. The product serves a single small ad unit per page, with contextual targeting based on the page URL and topic rather than on user profiling.
By default, Carbon Ads does not set persistent third party cookies. The ad tag fires impression and click pings to carbonads.net, carrying URL, anonymised IP, user agent, and an in memory rotation counter. Some publisher configurations may add an analytics cookie; check your dashboard.
Because Carbon Ads is contextual and avoids persistent identifiers, legitimate interest under Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR is normally an acceptable basis for the impression measurement. The CNIL and EDPB both accept that strictly contextual advertising without cross site tracking can avoid the consent requirement of Art. 5(3) ePrivacy when no cookie is read or written.
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Impression and click data may be transferred to BuySellAds infrastructure in Canada and the United States. Canada benefits from a partial EU adequacy decision; transfers to the US rely on SCCs and the EU, US Data Privacy Framework. The data exposure is low (URL, anonymised IP, user agent).
Verify in your browser that Carbon Ads does not set persistent cookies on your domain. Sign the BuySellAds DPA, document the legitimate interest balancing test, and mention Carbon Ads in your privacy notice as a contextual advertising vendor. If you activate any analytics extras, treat them as consent based cookies.
Other privacy friendly ad networks include EthicalAds, CodeFund (open source), and direct sponsorships. They share the contextual, no tracking approach.
Websites using Carbon Ads must obtain user consent under GDPR regulations.
DPIA considerations
A DPIA is generally not required because Carbon Ads is contextual and does not build user profiles. Document the legitimate interest balancing test.
Sample consent text
We use Carbon Ads to deliver contextual advertising on this site. Carbon Ads does not set persistent tracking cookies and therefore typically does not require your consent.
Third-party domains contacted
carbonads.netsrv.carbonads.netcdn4.buysellads.netbuysellads.comCarbon Ads places tracking cookies for advertising — comply with GDPR using FlowConsent.
By default, none. Carbon Ads uses contextual targeting and does not set persistent third party cookies. Verify in your browser network tab to confirm for your configuration.
Generally no. Without persistent cookies, Art. 5(3) ePrivacy does not apply, and legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) covers contextual ad serving.
Legitimate interest. Document the balancing test with the limited data exposure (URL, anonymised IP).
Yes, to Canada and the US. Use SCCs and the EU, US Data Privacy Framework. Canada has partial adequacy.
Generally no. Contextual ad serving without profiling is below the Art. 35 GDPR threshold.
Sign DPA, document legitimate interest, mention Carbon Ads in your privacy notice, verify no persistent cookies are set.
EthicalAds, CodeFund (open source), direct sponsorships. All contextual with minimal tracking.
Usually no cookie entry is needed. Add a brief note in your privacy notice describing the contextual ad serving and the Canada/US transfer.