ITCoP

Internet Transparency Code of Practice

A code of practice that makes transparency the default online, in line with Convention 108+.

Background

Introduced at CPDP 2026

The Internet Transparency Code of Practice (ITCoP) was introduced on 20 May 2026 at CPDP Brussels, on the panel "Transparency by Default: An Internet Transparency Code of Practice", which was moderated by the Council of Europe.

It aligns with the transparency principles of Convention 108+, the modernised Council of Europe data protection convention. Its predecessor, Convention 108, is open to states worldwide and has 55 Parties.

Core positions

What the code requires

The controller is identified before the individual

Before a person is identified, tracked or profiled, they must be able to see who the controller is, what the purpose is, and what authority is relied on.

No login needed to find out who is collecting

People with no relationship to a controller, such as those recorded by cameras in public spaces, must be able to find out who is collecting their data, and to object, without logging in to a website.

Transparency policy

The transparency policy

Most organizations publish a privacy policy written for legal review. ITCoP sets out how to update that policy into a transparency policy: one that people can read, that machines can read, and that is kept current as processing changes.

Read TCIEG's own Transparency Policy

Standards

The Transparency Profile

The machine-readable form of a transparency policy is called the Transparency Profile. It carries the policy and the notice, and maps them to the rules of each country where the organization operates.

A preliminary work item on an Internet Transparency Code of Practice profile was established by resolution of ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 44 on 3 September 2026 and assigned to WG 1. It links to the notice and consent standards of ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 27/WG 5 (ISO/IEC 29184 and ISO/IEC TS 27560:2023).

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Talk to TCIEG

TCIEG welcomes discussion with regulators, standards participants, civil society, technology providers, legal experts, privacy engineers and implementation practitioners working toward interoperable Operational Transparency standards.

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