FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Introduction & Overview

What is the Halo initiative?

The Halo initiative is a voluntary global initiative driven by the advertising industry. Halo was proposed by the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) to enable the development of an inclusive privacy-first foundation for measuring advertising reach and frequency across media channels (digital, TV, radio, print, etc.). This effort has since been further shaped by the Halo community, which develops and maintains the Halo open-source framework and code components (released under the Apache 2.0 license).

The initiative’s core mission is to respond to the needs of the advertising industry by proposing an inclusive, open-source framework and software code that any measurement organisation can freely decide to adopt. The Halo framework supports the mission of addressing media fragmentation and improving transparency in cross-media measurement.

The Halo initiative does not prescribe or impose any approaches to media measurement. It merely provides an open-source framework and code components that can be used by any stakeholder. Halo does not provide a finished cross-media measurement tool. Furthermore, as it generates significant efficiencies and is meant to allow for any media measurement, the Halo framework is pro-competitive.

Why is the Halo initiative driven by the advertising industry?

Industry feedback from advertisers globally suggests that more consistent, inclusive, comparable data across an increasingly fragmented media environment is required. By taking the perspective of advertisers and the advertising industry, the Halo initiative ensures that no single media owner or proprietary system imposes the proposals, fostering broad industry benefits—media owners, agencies, measurement providers, and ultimately consumers—through a more neutral, inclusive approach.

Who participates in the Halo community?

Since inception, over 100 organizations have participated in the Halo initiative through the Halo community—ranging from advertisers, agencies, media owners (large and small, digital or traditional), JICs, measurement and research companies, industry associations, and consultancies. They contribute on a voluntary basis in various capacities:

  • Observers: stay informed, offer feedback or attend discussions on the Halo initiative.
  • Advisors: provide specialized insights on methodology, cryptography, privacy, data science, or system architecture.
  • Contributors: support the development steps of the Halo open-source framework and code components proposals, perform reviews, or conduct research and testing.

By welcoming such diverse backgrounds—“by the industry, for the industry”—the Halo initiative strives for inclusivity in cross-media measurement.

Governance & Participation

How is the Halo initiative governed?

The Halo initiative is entirely voluntary. Notwithstanding that, to enable the development of the framework, the Halo initiative relies on a multi-layered governance structure:

  1. Steering Committee (SteerCo): proposes the strategic direction of the initiative, reviews major development steps, and holds proposals against actual industry needs. The SteerCo is populated with various stakeholders of the advertising industry.
  2. Open-Source Community & Maintainers: a subset of the Halo community focusing on day-to-day code merges and reviews. WFA staff oversee and coordinate this volunteer group to ensure all work adheres to the Halo initiative’s transparency, inclusivity, and neutrality principles.
  3. Technical Advisory: expert panels (in privacy, cryptography, data science, etc.) give additional guidance, ensuring major proposals remain methodologically sound and unbiased.

How does the Halo initiative ensure a balanced approach and avoid being dominated by one industry group or specific organisations?

  • The Halo initiative has been developed “by the industry, for the industry” through a consultative process ensuring diverse industry perspectives are represented in the framework.
  • Open-source license (Apache 2.0): anyone can view, audit, or fork the Halo open-source framework and code components proposal, preventing hidden or proprietary lock-ins.
  • Inclusive community with industry objectives: advertisers, media owners, agencies, measurement firms, JICs —everyone can provide feedback or propose updates, ensuring that the Halo initiative’s proposals do not reflect the perspectives of a single organisation or group of organisations.
  • Transparent logs & reviews: all merges and decisions are documented publicly. If an update risks favouring any particular stakeholder, the broader Halo community can flag and correct it.

Are there licensing fees or royalties for using the Halo framework proposals?

No. The Halo framework is made available under the Apache 2.0 license. This means no fees or royalties apply, and that any stakeholder (including JICs, measurement companies, etc.) can freely use or adapt the code component proposals to suit their individual requirements or their own measurement tools.

Methodology & Open-Source Development

Is the Halo open-source framework a final product or just a framework?

The voluntary Halo initiative is a proposed framework of open-source code. The Halo initiative is a not a standalone, off-the-shelf measurement tool. Any stakeholder (i.e., measurement companies, JICs, etc.) can decide to integrate the framework into their own systems as they consider building cross-media measurement solutions that are fit for the needs of the advertising industry.

What does “open-source under Apache 2.0” imply for Halo?

  • Full transparency and inclusivity: the entire codebase is publicly available for review, auditing, or forking.
  • No vendor lock-In: each stakeholder can freely decide to incorporate or modify the code without proprietary constraints.
  • Community-driven development: merges and improvements proceed through an open pull-request process, are guided by the Halo community.

How can I contribute or propose developments?

Expert participants can browse the Halo open-source framework and code components in the official repository. After reviewing the contributor guidelines, you can open issues or pull requests. The maintainers, under WFA staff’s coordination, will review submissions for alignment with the Halo initiative’s neutrality and privacy commitments.

Privacy & Data Protection

How does the Halo initiative align with GDPR, CCPA, or other data regulations?

The Halo initiative’s proposals are based on highly privacy-preserving principles, often leveraging advanced cryptographic methods (secure multi-party computation, differential privacy). Actual use of real consumer data stays local to implementers, so they remain responsible for their region’s legal compliance. However, the default architecture strongly encourages minimal data exposure and robust anonymization.

Does the open-source repository contain real consumer data?

No. The publicly visible code handles abstracted or synthetic data sets. Any real consumer or advertiser data usage resides in the systems of individual organisations, not in the Halo community repository.

Can the voluntary Halo framework accommodate evolving regulation, like EMFA?

Yes. The voluntary Halo framework is designed to be modular and flexible. Should new requirements emerge, participants can propose updated modules.

Ensuring Neutrality, Fairness & Inclusiveness

How does the Halo initiative prevent favouritism toward certain stakeholders?

  1. Agnostic design: Halo’s proposed open-source framework aims to enable handling data from any channel (digital, linear TV, radio, out-of-home, etc.) uniformly.
  2. Open stakeholder review: code merges pass multi-stakeholder scrutiny; partial or excluding features would be flagged and disallowed as part of the Halo framework proposals.
  3. Advertising industry-driven initiative: the advertising industry needs broad cross-channel coverage, reinforcing a neutral approach that benefits smaller or newer media owners as well.

Could large players overshadow smaller voices in the Halo community?

The initiative’s open governance and inclusive nature ensures that any code merges or method changes are subject to broad-based reviews. Smaller or local media owners can participate or voice concerns, preventing a single influential entity from unilaterally dictating changes.

Does cooperation on code entail any risk of infringing competition and antitrust laws?

No. In addition to being voluntary, open and inclusive, cooperation between industry stakeholders within the Halo initiative is purely methodological and technical.

Sensitive information of individual stakeholders or companies, like pricing, inventory levels, or forward-looking business strategies — is strictly off-limits. Participants must also follow antitrust compliance guidelines to maintain focus on code and methodology, not commercial or strategic aspects of cross media measurement (which is within the remit of measurement organisations).

Voluntary Adoption Decisions & JIC Involvement

Does the Halo initiative replace local JIC currencies or solutions?

No. In addition to not being an off the shelf measurement tool, the Halo framework serves as an enabler or complementary resource for cross-media measurement tools developed by independent organisations. JICs or measurement providers can decide to integrate them into their existing or newly developed solutions with the aim of augmenting or unifying existing currencies. The initiative itself does not dictate any single standard or supplant local processes.

Is the Halo initiative used for planning or buying decisions?

No. The Halo initiative focuses on backward-looking measurement of how campaigns actually performed across channels—not on planning or transaction. Agencies and advertisers might use the resulting data indirectly to inform future planning, but Halo does not provide or impose a planning tool.

Who owns final measurement outputs once a decision has been made by an independent organisation to use the Halo framework?

Organisations such as JICs or measurement providers may decide on a voluntary basis to incorporate the voluntary Halo framework into their operations, they manage the real data integration, define relevant metrics, and produce final measurement outputs. Halo remains the underlying open framework, not the final authoritative currency or tool.

Information for Measurement Providers & Agencies

How can measurement providers benefit from the voluntary Halo framework?

Any measurement provider—whether private, JIC-led, or consultancy—is free to decide on whether they use, audit or adapt the code. Under the Apache 2.0 license, they can also propose enhancements back to the Halo community if they see areas for improvement. This fosters industry-wide relevance and supports the improvement of cross-media measurement solutions in the fragmented media landscape.

Is the voluntary Halo framework a planning tool or currency?

No. The Halo initiative is only a technical framework proposal. Its ambition is enabling cross-media measurement that is more in tune with the needs of advertisers and the advertising industry. It does not define a single currency, nor does it incorporate planning or buying capabilities. Instead, it offers a methodological and technical backbone to enhance coverage and consistency in measuring actual ad delivery.

If the framework is just a proposed set of components, how do we get a working “measurement product”?

Measurement companies or JICs may freely decide to integrate these (or edited) open-source components into their existing pipelines—providing real data ingestion, final analytics, and user-facing reporting. The Halo framework is only a modular “engine” component behind the scenes, supporting a privacy-centric, inclusive, consistent cross-media logic.

Can agencies tap directly into the Halo code?

There is no impediment to doing so but usually, agencies don’t handle raw data ingestion. Agencies often suggest enhancements or data-access features relevant to their day-to-day needs (e.g., simpler APIs or formatting). The Halo community welcomes agencies’ feedback, ensuring the final solutions meet real campaign-management requirements.

Does Halo compete with private or proprietary measurement solutions?

No. In addition to not being a measurement tool, the Halo initiative is “by the industry, for the industry,” bridging fragmentation. Private solutions can remain proprietary or decide to integrate Halo’s open-source modules for certain functionalities, benefiting from a cross-media approach that meets the needs of the advertising industry.

For Open-Source Developers & Contributors

How do I get involved in the Halo initiative?

  1. Read the contributor guidelines and recommended antitrust compliance notes.
  2. Clone or fork the repository (e.g., on GitHub).
  3. Develop your proposed features or fixes.
  4. Submit a pull request for community review. WFA staff help coordinate maintainers and the broader community, ensuring the code merges align with the overarching principles of inclusivity, privacy, and neutrality.

Can I fork or adapt the code for different use cases?

Absolutely. Under Apache 2.0, forking and adapting are both encouraged. If your changes benefit the ecosystem, we invite you to propose them for merging back into the main repository.

Forward Looking Perspectives

How will the Halo initiative evolve?

Guided by voluntary user feedback, advanced privacy innovations, and local pilot learnings, the Halo community and SteerCo regularly refine the envisaged roadmap. Potential developments may include proposing improved cryptographic tools, alignment with novel channels (e.g., connected TV or VR), or more advanced modular components for local privacy needs.

Can Halo adapt if new data or media regulations emerge?

Yes. The open-source, modular architecture supports quick adaptation or add-on modules. Contributors specialized in local compliance are encouraged to propose changes that ensure smooth adoption under any updated regulatory frameworks.

Additional Resources & Contact

Where can I find official documentation or the code itself?

Whom do I contact for further information or to get involved?

  • Steering Committee / WFA: halo@wfanet.org
  • Halo Industry Technical Advisory Group: for specialized queries, including cryptography or advanced data modelling, contact HITAG@wfanet.org

Are there upcoming sessions or ways to stay updated?

Watch the official website or repository for announcements about community calls, open workshops or town halls where you can provide feedback or learn about the initiative’s progress.