Equativ

Overview

Equativ (formerly Smart AdServer) is a European independent ad tech company operating a supply-side platform, ad server, and demand-side platform. It is deployed on publisher websites to fill display, video, and native ad inventory through direct campaigns and programmatic demand. Equativ positions itself as an alternative to Google Ad Manager for publishers seeking independence from the dominant ad tech stack, but its technical implementation — ad tags, cookie-based audience management, and RTB participation — follows the same patterns as other programmatic ad networks.

What This Script Does

Equativ's scripts load through publisher-placed ad tags or through header bidding integrations. Once active, the client-side scripts:

• Request ad fill by calling Equativ's ad server with zone or placement identifiers, returning ad markup (HTML/JS for display, VAST for video) to be rendered in the ad slot
• Conduct real-time bidding by sending bid requests to Equativ's demand partners, including contextual signals (page URL, content category) and audience identifiers derived from stored cookies
• Set and read audience cookies to build or retrieve segment membership, supporting frequency capping and behavioral targeting; cookies are set under Equativ's own domains
• Fire impression tracking beacons when an ad enters the viewport, recording delivery data for publisher reporting and advertiser verification
• Record click events routing through Equativ's click-tracking infrastructure before the user reaches the advertiser's landing page
• May load additional vendor pixels from advertisers and measurement partners as part of the served creative

Equativ is registered with the IAB Europe TCF as a vendor and participates in the standardized consent signal framework used across European programmatic advertising.

Consent & Compliance

GDPR and ePrivacy Directive: Equativ's cookie-based audience tracking and RTB participation require prior informed consent under the ePrivacy Directive and GDPR. Relevant IAB TCF purposes include Purpose 1 (store/access information on device), Purpose 2 (select basic ads), Purpose 3 (create a personalized ads profile), Purpose 4 (select personalized ads), and Purpose 7 (measure ad performance). Publishers must surface Equativ as a named vendor in their CMP's vendor list. Equativ maintains Privacy Shield successor certifications for EU-US data transfers.

CCPA/CPRA: RTB processes transmit visitor identifiers to multiple demand partners, constituting "sharing" of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising under CPRA. Publishers must honor opt-out signals (GPC) and suppress Equativ's RTB participation for opted-out California visitors.

The consent category is marketing, with programmatic advertising as the primary use case.

Should You Block This Without Consent?

Yes.

Equativ sets tracking cookies, participates in real-time bidding, and enables cross-site behavioral targeting — all of which require explicit consent under GDPR and ePrivacy. The script must not load until the visitor has accepted the marketing or advertising consent category. Publishers using Equativ with a TCF-compliant CMP should configure Equativ as a named vendor requiring positive consent signals before any ad calls are made.