Belgium: Announced investigation into IAB Transparency and Consent Framework

On 13 October 2020, the Belgian Data Protection Authority (APD) announced the beginning of proceedings against Interactive Advertising Bureau Europe (IAB) on the issue of the compliance of the Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF) with the GDPR. The TCF is a widely-used mechanism for collecting user consent to data collection, advertising, and cookie use upon visiting websites. Specifically, the APD will seek to determine the extent to which the data collected through the TCF system constitutes personal data.