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Verizon Media is an advertising and media network now operating as Yahoo, formerly Oath and AOL. It provides behavioural advertising, audience profiling, and ad measurement, so the brand may appear as either Verizon Media or Yahoo. It sets advertising cookies and identifiers that always require consent.
Verizon Media is an advertising and media network that has been rebranded as Yahoo, having previously operated as Oath and AOL. It delivers behavioural advertising, audience profiling, and advertising measurement across a large network of sites and partners. Because of the rebrand, the same technology may appear under either the Verizon Media or the Yahoo name in cookie scans.
Verizon Media sets advertising cookies and identifiers that build a profile of a user across sites for targeting and measurement. Typical cookies include advertising identifiers and a cookie synchronisation cookie that matches identifiers with partner networks. The data collected can include browsing behaviour, device information, and inferred interests, which is shared with advertising partners.
Under the GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive, behavioural advertising cookies are never strictly necessary, so they require prior consent under ePrivacy Art. 5(3) and a consent legal basis under GDPR Art. 6(1)(a). Verizon Media participates in the IAB Europe Transparency and Consent Framework, so consent signals must be passed correctly. The profiling and cross site sharing make this high risk processing that demands careful governance.
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All Verizon Media advertising cookies must fire only after the visitor gives explicit, informed, and freely given consent, typically captured through a TCF compatible consent management platform. The advertising scripts should be fully blocked until consent is recorded, and visitors must be able to withdraw consent as easily as they gave it. A simple cookie wall or pre ticked box does not meet the standard for valid consent.
Advertising data is processed in the United States and shared with advertising partners. Transfers of personal data outside the European Economic Area rely on Standard Contractual Clauses and supplementary safeguards. Because the data is shared widely across an ad network, operators should scrutinise the transfer chain and document it in their records of processing.
To use Verizon Media compliantly, block all advertising scripts until valid consent is captured through a TCF compatible consent platform and pass the consent string correctly. Disclose the advertising purposes, partners, and US transfers in your privacy and cookie policies. Given the high risk profile, conduct a data protection impact assessment and review the partner list regularly.
Websites using Verizon Media must obtain user consent under GDPR regulations.
DPIA considerations
A data protection impact assessment is strongly advised for Verizon Media because behavioural advertising is high risk processing. (1) The scope of profiling and the volume of behavioural, device, and inferred interest data collected across sites. (2) The reliance on consent as the sole lawful basis and the integrity of the IAB Europe TCF consent signal. (3) The extensive sharing of data with advertising partners and the resulting transfer chain. (4) The international transfer of data to the United States and the adequacy of Standard Contractual Clauses and supplementary measures. (5) Data subject rights, including objection and withdrawal, retention periods, and the difficulty of exercising rights across a wide partner network.
Sample consent text
We use Verizon Media, now operating as Yahoo, for advertising. With your consent, it sets cookies and identifiers to profile your interests, personalise ads, and measure campaigns, and shares data with partners. You can accept, reject, or manage your choices at any time.
Third-party domains contacted
yahoo.comadvertising.comadtech.comverizonmedia.comCookies placed
| Name | Type | Duration | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | Advertising | 1 year | Stores an advertising identifier used for behavioural targeting and ad personalisation. |
| A3 | Advertising | 1 year | Supports behavioural advertising and frequency capping across the ad network. |
| B | Advertising | 1 year | Used for advertising and analytics to profile interests and measure campaign performance. |
| IDSYNC | Advertising | 1 year | Synchronises advertising identifiers with partner networks for cross site targeting. |
Verizon Media places tracking cookies for advertising — comply with GDPR using FlowConsent.
Verizon Media, now Yahoo, typically sets advertising cookies such as A1, A3, and B that store advertising identifiers for behavioural targeting and measurement, plus an IDSYNC cookie that synchronises identifiers with partner networks. All of these are advertising cookies rather than functional ones. Because of the rebrand, they may appear under the Yahoo name in cookie scans.
Yes, consent is always required because all Verizon Media cookies are advertising cookies that are never strictly necessary under ePrivacy Art. 5(3). Consent must be captured before any advertising script loads, ideally through a TCF compatible consent platform. The scripts must stay fully blocked until the visitor gives valid, freely given consent.
The only valid legal basis is consent under GDPR Art. 6(1)(a) and ePrivacy Art. 5(3), as legitimate interest is not appropriate for cross site behavioural advertising. Consent is typically managed through the IAB Europe Transparency and Consent Framework. You must ensure the consent signal is genuine and correctly transmitted to Verizon Media and its partners.
Yes, advertising data is processed in the United States and shared with advertising partners. Transfers outside the European Economic Area rely on Standard Contractual Clauses and supplementary safeguards. Because the data flows through a wide ad network, you should scrutinise the transfer chain and disclose it clearly in your privacy notice.
Yes, a DPIA is strongly recommended and often required because cross site behavioural advertising and large scale profiling are explicitly treated as high risk processing. The assessment should cover the profiling scope, the reliance on consent, the partner sharing, and the US transfers. Documenting these risks and mitigations is essential before deploying the tags.
Block all Verizon Media advertising scripts until the visitor gives valid consent through a TCF compatible consent management platform, and pass the consent string to the vendor. Disclose the advertising purposes, the partner list, and the US transfers in your privacy and cookie policies. Conduct a DPIA, honour withdrawal requests promptly, and review the partner list regularly.
Yes, alternatives include other advertising networks and demand side platforms, as well as privacy focused or contextual advertising solutions that do not rely on cross site profiling. Contextual advertising in particular can reduce consent and transfer obligations because it does not track individuals. Evaluate each option against your risk appetite and compliance requirements.
List the Verizon Media advertising cookies such as A1, A3, B, and IDSYNC with their purpose and duration, and classify them all as advertising cookies that require consent. Explain that the brand now operates as Yahoo and that data is shared with partners and transferred to the United States under Standard Contractual Clauses. Update the policy whenever the partner list or cookie set changes.