Pre-Screening of Segments for Platform Validation
Note
Platform compliance pre-screening currently only applies to segments enabled for activation to The Trade Desk (TTD). Additional platforms will be supported in the future.
LiveRamp will evaluate the results of this pre-screen notification process and will provide sellers with at least two weeks' notice before any updates or changes are implemented.
LiveRamp uses pre-screening to validate Data Marketplace segments against platform-specific policies before they can be activated to certain destinations. This helps reduce rejections, shorten time to go live, and provide a more predictable experience for data sellers and buyers.
Criteria for Pre-Screening
LiveRamp does not pre-screen every segment. Instead, pre-screening is applied only when all of the following are true:
The segment is enabled for activation to a platform that requires validation (currently only TTD).
The segment is not excluded from pre-screening (e.g., LiveRamp excludes Healthcare-related segments from the pre-screening process, since TTD allows certain providers to send health data without being rejected if they provide a health data attestation).
LiveRamp’s internal compliance review identifies the segment as potentially sensitive or high-risk based on that platform’s data policies (e.g., TTD’s sensitive categories policy).
The segment has completed LiveRamp’s Data Marketplace Segment Review and Approval process and is otherwise eligible for activation.
The Pre-Screening Process
LiveRamp’s pre-screening process is a required compliance step for Data Marketplace segments intended for distribution to platforms that require validation (currently only TTD). The pre-screening process has the following stages:
Note
The pre-screening process only provides information to sellers and buyers. It does not impact distribution of any segments to platforms (currently only TTD), even if a segment is flagged with a “Pre-Screen Status” of “Rejected”.
LiveRamp Internal Pre-Screen
When a segment is submitted for activation to a platform that requires validation (currently only TTD), LiveRamp first runs internal checks to determine whether the segment appears to fall into sensitive or at-risk categories defined in that platform’s policies.
During this step:
Only segments flagged as sensitive or at-risk in the LiveRamp internal pre-screen are sent to the platform’s compliance pre-screen (currently only TTD). In these cases, LiveRamp sends the segment metadata to the platform for review. The platform (currently only TTD) is ultimately responsible for determining which segments are rejected.
Segments that are not flagged as sensitive or at-risk skip the platform compliance pre-screen and can be distributed to the platform.
Note
If a segment passes LiveRamp’s internal pre-screen but is later rejected by the platform during actual activation, the seller and any buyers using it will be notified and the seller must create a new segment to comply with the platform’s policy (currently only TTD). See “Daily Pre-Screen and Activation Status Emails for Data Sellers” and “Daily Activation Status Emails for Data Buyers” below.
Platform Compliance Pre-Screen
While a segment is under platform compliance pre-screening (currently only TTD), it remains available for activation to that platform and any other platforms. Pre-screen review times can vary, but are typically 2–24 hours.
During this step:
The platform reviews the segment against the platform’s data policy, including sensitive category restrictions (e.g., TTD’s sensitive categories policy).
The platform returns a status that LiveRamp maps to pre-screen outcomes:
Pending: Segment is still under platform review.
Approved: Segment is approved for distribution to the platform for activation.
Rejected: This status does not impact distribution of any segments to the platform (currently only TTD). It indicates that the segment may be considered non-compliant by the platform and will require revisions before resubmission if the platform rejects it. For more information, see “Responding to Pre-Screen and Activation Outcomes for Data Sellers” below.
Note
The platform does not notify data sellers directly. LiveRamp provides all status updates and guidance.
Activation Rejections
A segment that has either skipped pre-screening or passed the pre-screening review may still be rejected later by the platform during actual activation. This can occur due to the platform’s internal checks or updated interpretations of its policy.
In these cases:
The segment is removed from distributions to the platform (currently only TTD), but can still be distributed to other platforms. Sellers will need to create a new segment that complies with the platform’s policies if they want to distribute it to the platform that rejected it (currently only TTD). For more information, see “Segment Is Rejected at Activation” below.
LiveRamp surfaces these rejections in the daily pre-screen and activation status email so that sellers and buyers are aware and can take corrective action.
Daily Pre-Screen and Activation Status Emails for Data Sellers
When one or more of a seller’s segments are affected by platform pre-screening or activation review, LiveRamp sends a daily summary email to the seller. Depending on the day’s activity, the email can include one or both of the following attachments:
Note
A summary email is sent daily at 4 pm PST to users with either Admin or Standard roles on the seller’s account with Data Marketplace notifications set to either “Daily” or “Immediate”. An email is only sent if there has been relevant activity for the seller’s segments on that day. The subject of the email is “Daily Summary: <Platform Name> Segment Compliance Preview”.
To manage volume of daily updates, we recommend setting up email filters for emails sent from notification@liveramp.com with subject line “Daily Summary: <Platform Name> Segment Compliance Preview” (e.g., for TTD, “Daily Summary : The Trade Desk (TTD) Segment Compliance Preview”).
Pre-Screen Summary Attachment
A CSV attachment (e.g., for TTD:
TTD_Pre-Screen_Summary_<MMDDYYYY>.csv) listing the day’s platform compliance pre-screen results for relevant segments (statuses are: “Pending”, “Approved”, or “Rejected”).For segments with a “Pre-Screen Status” of “Rejected”: This status does not impact distribution of any segments to the platform (currently only TTD.) The segment may be considered non-compliant by the platform and will require revisions before resubmission if the platform rejects it. For more information, see “Responding to Pre-Screen and Activation Outcomes for Data Sellers” below.
Use this attached CSV file to:
Identify segments with a status of “Rejected”
Prioritize revising rejected segments to reduce the risk of future rejections.
Activation Rejections Attachment
A CSV attachment (e.g., for TTD:
TTD_ComplianceScan_Rejections_MMDDYYYY.csv) listing segments rejected during the day’s platform activation.Note
Segments rejected from platform activation are removed from distribution to that platform (currently only TTD), but remain live for other platforms. To learn more, see “Responding to Pre-Screen and Activation Outcomes for Data Sellers” below.
Use this attached CSV file to:
Identify which segments have been blocked from further platform activation.
Plan the creation of new, compliant segments when you still want to reach similar audiences on the platform.
Responding to Pre-Screen and Activation Outcomes for Data Sellers
Sellers can use the daily pre-screen and activation email to check the status of their segments and decide how to handle the following pre-screen and activation review outcomes:
Segment in Platform Review
Pre-Screen Email status: “Pending”
No immediate action is required since the platform is still reviewing the segment.
If review times become a concern, consider simplifying or clarifying the segment name and description to make the purpose and audience more obvious and less likely to be interpreted as sensitive. For more information, see “Best Practices for Segment Names and Descriptions” below.
Segment Fails Platform Compliance Pre-Screen
Pre-Screen Email status: “Rejected”
Note
The pre-screening process only provides information to sellers. It does not impact distribution of any segments to the platform.
Segments with Pre-Screen status of “Rejected” have been rejected by the platform compliance pre-screening workflow (currently only TTD) and have a high chance of being rejected during activation.
If the segment is not distributed to any platforms, change the segment’s name and description to ensure compliance with the platform’s policies (currently only TTD), avoiding generic terms or terms that imply sensitive data categories. To do this: log in to Connect, download the segment, modify its name/description, and update it for re-submission to be pre-screened again.
If the segment is already distributed to other platforms, create a new segment and ensure both the segment name and description comply with the platform's policies (currently only TTD).
Monitor subsequent daily emails to confirm when the segment’s "Pre-Screen Status" changes to “Approved”.
Segment Is Rejected at Activation
Pre-Screen Email status: Segment is listed in attached Compliance Scan Rejections CSV
The segment is removed from distributions to the platform (currently only TTD) and should not be reused for future activations on the platform.
The segment can still be distributed to other platforms.
For segments rejected by the platform at activation that you want to revise for platform compliance:
Create a new segment based on a revised name and description that comply with the platform’s policies.
Use the new segment ID for future platform activations. The old segment can continue to be used with other platforms if allowed.
Daily Activation Status Emails for Data Buyers
When one or more of a buyer's segments have been rejected during actual platform activation on that day (currently only TTD), LiveRamp sends a daily summary email to the buyer to make them aware of the segment activation rejections. The email will have a link to the rejected segments listing Data Seller, Segment ID, Segment Name, and Segment Description.
Note
A summary email is sent daily at 4 pm PST to users with either Admin or Standard roles on the buyer’s account with Data Marketplace notifications set to either “Daily” or “Immediate”. An email is only sent if there has been relevant activity for the buyer’s segments on that day. The subject of the email is “Daily Summary: <Platform Name> Segment Activation Rejections”.
To manage volume of daily updates, we recommend setting up email filters for emails sent from notification@liveramp.com with subject line “Daily Summary: <Platform Name> Segment Activation Rejections” (e.g., for TTD, “Daily Summary: The Trade Desk (TTD) Segment Activation Rejections”).
Responding to Activation Rejections for Data Buyers
Segments rejected during actual platform activation were not delivered to a buyer’s campaigns on that platform (currently only TTD). For these segments, buyers should work with the data seller to resolve the issue. Sellers will need to do the following:
Create a new segment based on a revised name and description that comply with the platform’s policies.
Use the new segment ID for future platform activations and make buyers aware of this. The old segment can continue to be used on other platforms if allowed.
Best Practices for Segment Names and Descriptions
To reduce the likelihood of pre-screening failures and platform rejections:
Follow Data Marketplace naming guidelines. Use descriptive, self-explanatory names that clearly communicate the audience without implying prohibited categories.
Provide concise descriptions. Keep descriptions within recommended length limits (e.g., 245 characters or fewer for standard segments) and avoid special characters and line breaks.
Use probabilistic language, not definitive claims. Prefer “likely to” or “propensity to” instead of absolute statements like “is” or “will”.
Avoid derogatory or embarrassing framing. Don’t describe audiences in demeaning terms, even if the segment logic itself is permissible.
Align with platform policies. Review the platform’s sensitive category and data policy guidelines (e.g., TTD’s sensitive categories policy) before naming or updating segments intended for activation to the platform.
Following these guidelines improves the odds that your segments will pass both LiveRamp and platform compliance pre-screen reviews and minimizes the need for repeated resubmissions. For more information, see “Naming Data Marketplace Segments”.