Hashtag Labs
Hashtag Labs is an ad operations and yield optimisation company that runs prebid header bidding wrappers and ad tech infrastructure for digital publishers.
What does Hashtag Labs do?
What is Hashtag Labs
Hashtag Labs is an ad operations consultancy and technology vendor that helps premium publishers operate header bidding wrappers, yield optimisation, and ad quality monitoring. The integration typically deploys a customised prebid.js wrapper, an ad refresh module, and analytics scripts that report performance to a dashboard.
Cookies and identifiers used
The Hashtag Labs wrapper sets a first party cookie for its own analytics (htl_uid, twelve months) and orchestrates third party cookies from every SSP and DSP in the bidding chain (Index Exchange, Magnite, OpenX, Xandr, Google AdX, Criteo, and others). User identifiers, IP addresses, and contextual signals are exchanged during each auction.
Legal basis under the GDPR
The legal basis for header bidding is explicit consent under Art. 6(1)(a) of the GDPR combined with Art. 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive. The Belgian DPA decision on IAB Europe (February 2022) confirms that legitimate interest cannot be used for behavioural advertising or for the TCF consent string.
International data transfers
Hashtag Labs is US based. Bid data, IP, and identifiers may flow to dozens of US bidders. Transfers rely on Standard Contractual Clauses and the EU, US Data Privacy Framework where applicable. The Schrems II decision still requires you to assess the level of protection on a case by case basis.
Consent management and TCF v2.2
The Hashtag Labs wrapper consumes the TC string produced by your CMP and passes it to every bidder. Verify that your CMP is a TCF v2.2 registered vendor, that the global vendor list is updated daily, and that no bidder fires before consent. Honour Global Privacy Control.
Practical compliance steps
Sign a DPA with Hashtag Labs that maps every SSP they enable as a sub processor. Block prebid until consent. Retain TC strings for at least the cookie duration. Review the bidder list quarterly and document the international transfer chain in your privacy notice.
Hashtag Labs and the GDPR
Hashtag Labs is classified as “Marketing”. On a site that targets European visitors, it must only load after the visitor consents, and it must be listed in your cookie policy.
- Legal basis
- Consent (GDPR Art. 6(1)(a) and ePrivacy Directive Art. 5(3))
- Risk level
- high
- Applicable regulations
- GDPR, ePrivacy Directive, IAB TCF v2.2
Impact assessment (DPIA)
A DPIA is recommended because Hashtag Labs orchestrates real time bidding with multiple DSPs, which triggers Art. 35(3)(b) of the GDPR for behavioural profiling at scale.
Sample text for your banner
We use Hashtag Labs to optimise advertising on this site. With your consent, Hashtag Labs and our bidding partners may set cookies and share data to deliver and measure ads.
What Hashtag Labs sets and contacts
- Tracking method
- JavaScript ad tag and yield optimisation wrapper with first and third party cookies, prebid integration
- Server location
- United States with global cloud distribution
- Data transferred outside the EU
- Hashtag Labs operates from the United States. EU data transfers rely on Standard Contractual Clauses and the EU, US Data Privacy Framework where applicable.
Cookies set (4)
| Name | Type | Duration | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| htl_uid | first_party | 12 months | Hashtag Labs analytics visitor identifier |
| htl_sess | first_party | Session | Session identifier for analytics correlation |
| htl_tcf | first_party | 13 months | Caches the TCF v2.2 consent string for fast lookup |
| _pbjs | first_party | 30 days | Prebid wrapper state and bidder timeouts |
Third-party domains contacted (4)
hashtaglabs.comcdn.hashtaglabs.comanalytics.hashtaglabs.comsecurepubads.g.doubleclick.net
Frequently asked questions about Hashtag Labs
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What cookies does Hashtag Labs set?
First party cookies htl_uid (twelve months), htl_sess (session), htl_tcf (thirteen months), and _pbjs (thirty days). The wrapper also enables many third party SSP and DSP cookies.
Is consent required for Hashtag Labs?
Yes. The wrapper enables behavioural advertising and requires explicit prior consent under Art. 5(3) ePrivacy and Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR.
What is the legal basis?
Explicit consent. Legitimate interest is not acceptable for behavioural advertising or for the TCF consent signal.
Does Hashtag Labs transfer data to the US?
Yes. The wrapper relays data to many US bidders. Use SCCs and the EU, US Data Privacy Framework and document the chain.
Do I need a DPIA?
Yes, due to large scale profiling and onward sharing across many vendors.
How do I implement Hashtag Labs compliantly?
Sign a DPA covering every SSP, block prebid until consent, pass TC string at each auction, audit bidders quarterly.
Are there alternatives?
Server side prebid with reduced data sharing, contextual advertising (Seedtag, Adnami), or direct programmatic deals.
How do I update my cookie policy?
List htl_ cookies, the hashtaglabs.com domains, every bidder enabled in your wrapper, and link to their TCF entries.
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