what is json.seller?

Sellers.json is an IAB Tech Lab standard that plays a crucial role in increasing transparency within the digital advertising ecosystem and combating fraud. Let’s dive into the details:

1. Purpose: Sellers.json allows buyers to discover and verifythe entities involved in the digital advertising opportunity. These entities can be either direct sellers (such as publishers) or intermediaries (like ad networks or SSPs) who facilitate the sale of ad inventory.
2. File Format: Sellers.json is a JSON filehosted on the server-side platform’s (SSP) website. It provides a list of authorized direct sellers or intermediaries participating in real-time bidding.
3. Fields in Sellers.json:
   • seller_id: A 16-digit publisher code(e.g., pub-1234567890123456).
   • is_confidential: When true, the name and domain fields are omitted.
   • seller_type: Indicates whether the seller is a PUBLISHER, INTERMEDIARY, or both.
     • PUBLISHER: Monetizes their own inventory and is directly paid by Google.
     • INTERMEDIARY: Monetizes inventory they don’t own or aren’t directly paid for (e.g., MCM parent publishers).
     • BOTH: Monetizes both their own and third-party inventory.
   • name: Name of the seller entity (found in Payments info).
   • domain: Domain of the seller entity (for INTERMEDIARIES, this is where their sellers.json file can be found).
4. Publisher Transparency:
   • Publishers with the seller type PUBLISHERdirectly sell inventory on their site, app, or other medium and are paid by Google.
   • Transparency is encouraged by allowing publishers to list their information in the sellers.json file. If not transparent, buyers won’t see the business name or domain.
   • Publishers can opt in by verifying their site with Google and enabling “Sellers.json transparency.”
5. Example:
   • The publisher “Example Company Inc.” has made their information transparent in Google’s sellers.json file:
   • “sellerId”: “pub-1234567890123456”
   • Advertisers can verify this information when making ad buying decisions.

Remember, Sellers.json contributes to a healthier and more trustworthy advertising ecosystem by providing clarity on authorized sellers and intermediaries.