> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.permutive.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Clean Room

> Enable secure data collaboration between publishers and advertisers without exposing raw user data

export const NoBadge = () => {
  return <span style={{
    display: 'inline-block',
    padding: '0.125rem 0.5rem',
    borderRadius: '0.25rem',
    fontSize: '0.625rem',
    background: '#F7D0E2',
    color: '#1A1A1A',
    fontWeight: '500'
  }}>
      No
    </span>;
};

export const YesBadge = () => {
  return <span style={{
    display: 'inline-block',
    padding: '0.125rem 0.5rem',
    borderRadius: '0.25rem',
    fontSize: '0.625rem',
    background: '#C7E8F9',
    color: '#1A1A1A',
    fontWeight: '500'
  }}>
      Yes
    </span>;
};

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Guides" href="#guides" icon="book-open" />

  <Card title="Issues" href="#troubleshooting" icon="triangle-exclamation" />

  <Card title="FAQ" href="#faq" icon="circle-question" />
</CardGroup>

## Overview

**Clean Room** enables publishers and advertisers to connect and share aggregated audience data without exposing raw personally identifiable information (PII). First-party data from advertisers is matched with publisher data in a secure environment, allowing for the creation of insights and audiences, and the execution of targeted campaigns while maintaining strict data privacy controls.

With Clean Room, advertisers can upload their first-party data and match users with the Permutive publisher ecosystem without having to expose raw PII or sign lengthy Data Protection Agreements. Once users are matched, audiences can be created either by direct matching or using Permutive lookalike technology. These audiences can then be activated for campaign execution within the ad server or via curation channels.

## Why Use Clean Room?

**Secure data collaboration** — Clean Room enables publishers and advertisers to collaborate on audience targeting without exposing raw user data. All matching happens in a secure environment where neither party can access the other's raw identifiers.

**No lengthy DPAs required** — Advertisers can onboard their first-party data without signing lengthy Data Protection Agreements with each publisher, accelerating campaign setup and reducing legal overhead.

**Flexible audience creation** — Create audiences through direct matching (users known to both parties) or extend reach using Permutive's lookalike technology to find similar users across the publisher's audience.

**End-to-end data control** — Data owners retain full control throughout the workflow. Advertisers can unlink their data at any point without leaving residual data in the publisher's environment.

**Privacy-preserving activation** — Only cohort membership signals are passed to ad servers, never individual user IDs. This protects user privacy while enabling effective targeting.

## Concepts

### Definitions

* **Supply-side workspace**: The publisher's workspace where they manage connections with advertisers, configure ad server targeting, and handle deal information.

* **Demand-side workspace**: The advertiser's workspace where they manage data sources and create clean room audiences. In publisher-driven workflows, publishers also have demand-side access.

* **Matched Cohort**: An audience of users who appear in both the publisher's and advertiser's datasets. Created by matching common identifiers.

* **Modeled Cohort**: A lookalike audience that extends reach beyond matched users by finding similar users based on behavioral patterns.

* **Data Source**: The advertiser's first-party data uploaded to Clean Room, containing user identifiers and segment assignments.

### Workspaces

In publisher-driven workflows, publishers access two separate dashboards:

| Workspace                | Purpose                                            |
| ------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------- |
| Supply-side (DMP)        | Manage connections, ad server targeting, deal info |
| Demand-side (Clean Room) | View advertiser data sources, create audiences     |

<Warning>
  These are separate logins. When Clean Room is enabled for publisher-driven workflows, you receive access to both dashboards. You must switch between them during setup.
</Warning>

## Workflows

Clean Room supports two workflow models based on your business relationship:

### Permutive-Driven (One-to-Many)

Permutive brings advertiser demand to publishers. Publishers manage connections and ad server targeting while advertisers have full control over audience creation.

| Party      | Workspace Access | Responsibilities                                                     |
| ---------- | ---------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Publisher  | Supply-side      | Set up connections, configure ad server targeting, provide deal info |
| Advertiser | Full demand-side | Manage data sources, create audiences, full platform access          |

### Publisher-Driven (One-to-One)

Publishers work directly with their own advertiser customers and maintain control over audience creation.

| Party      | Workspace Access          | Responsibilities                                                             |
| ---------- | ------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Publisher  | Supply-side + Demand-side | Set up connections, create audiences, configure targeting, provide deal info |
| Advertiser | Limited demand-side       | Manage data sources, permission data to publisher                            |

## Setup

### Prerequisites

* Access to the Permutive Platform
* For publishers: Active Audience Platform account with Permutive to collect first-party data
* For identity matching: Common identifiers between publisher and advertiser (e.g., hashed emails, mobile advertising IDs)
* For enabling Clean Room: Contact your Customer Success Manager (CSM) to discuss commercial terms

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Permutive-Driven (One-to-Many)">
    ### Publisher Setup (Supply-side workspace)

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Enable Clean Room for Your Organization">
        Clean Room is a paid product. Reach out to your Customer Success Manager (CSM) to discuss enabling Clean Room for your organization and complete the order form. Upon fulfillment, Permutive will create a Vault for you.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Set Up Connections">
        Connect with advertisers who have a Permutive account. You'll provide them access to your supply-side data through connections. See the [Setting Up Advertiser Connections](/guides/clean-room/setting-up-advertiser-connections) guide.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Configure Ad Server Targeting">
        Once the advertiser has created audiences in their demand-side workspace, configure targeting in your ad server. See the [Configuring Ad Server Targeting](/guides/clean-room/configuring-ad-server-targeting) guide.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Provide Proposal and Deal Information">
        Share proposal details and deal IDs with the advertiser for campaign execution. See the [Sharing Proposal and Deal Information](/guides/clean-room/sharing-proposal-and-deal-information) guide.
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    ### Advertiser Setup (Full demand-side workspace)

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Get Permutive Account Access">
        Sign a Data Processing Agreement with Permutive and receive your demand-side workspace access. Contact your Permutive representative to begin the onboarding process.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Configure Data Sources">
        Upload your first-party data (hashed emails, mobile IDs, etc.) to your data sources for matching with publisher data. See the [Uploading Advertiser Data](/guides/clean-room/uploading-advertiser-data) guide.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Create Clean Room Audiences">
        Build matched audiences (users known to both parties) or modeled audiences (lookalike expansion) from the matched data. See the [Creating Clean Room Audiences](/guides/clean-room/creating-clean-room-audiences) guide.
      </Step>

      <Step title="View Insights">
        Access insights and analytics on your audiences and campaign performance.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Publisher-Driven (One-to-One)">
    <Info>
      **Two dashboards required:** This workflow uses both your supply-side workspace (existing DMP) and a separate demand-side workspace (Clean Room). Both are provisioned when Clean Room is enabled. See [Workspaces](#workspaces) for details.
    </Info>

    ### Publisher Setup (Supply-side + Demand-side workspaces)

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Enable Clean Room for Your Organization">
        Clean Room is a paid product. Reach out to your Customer Success Manager (CSM) to discuss enabling Clean Room for your organization and complete the order form. Upon fulfillment, Permutive will create a Vault for you with both supply-side and demand-side access.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Set Up Connections">
        **(Supply-side dashboard)** Log into your supply-side workspace at dashboard.permutive.com to complete this step.

        Connect with your advertiser customers. In this workflow, advertisers will only be able to upload data, not create audiences. See the [Setting Up Advertiser Connections](/guides/clean-room/setting-up-advertiser-connections) guide.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Invite Advertiser to Upload Data">
        Provide your advertiser with access to upload their first-party data to your demand-side workspace.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Create Clean Room Audiences">
        **(Demand-side dashboard)** Log into your demand-side workspace (Clean Room dashboard) to complete this step.

        Once the advertiser has uploaded their data, use your demand-side workspace to create matched audiences or modeled audiences. See the [Creating Clean Room Audiences](/guides/clean-room/creating-clean-room-audiences) guide.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Configure Ad Server Targeting">
        **(Supply-side dashboard)** Log into your supply-side workspace at dashboard.permutive.com to complete this step.

        Configure targeting in your ad server for the audiences you've created. See the [Configuring Ad Server Targeting](/guides/clean-room/configuring-ad-server-targeting) guide.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Provide Proposal and Deal Information">
        **(Supply-side dashboard)** Log into your supply-side workspace at dashboard.permutive.com to complete this step.

        Share proposal details and deal IDs with the advertiser for campaign execution. See the [Sharing Proposal and Deal Information](/guides/clean-room/sharing-proposal-and-deal-information) guide.
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    ### Advertiser Setup (Limited demand-side workspace)

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Accept Publisher Invitation">
        Sign a Data Processing Agreement with Permutive and accept the publisher's invitation to their demand-side workspace.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Configure Data Sources">
        Upload your first-party data (hashed emails, mobile IDs, etc.) to data sources. See the [Uploading Advertiser Data](/guides/clean-room/uploading-advertiser-data) guide.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Permission Data to Publisher">
        Grant the publisher access to your data source by providing their Vault Organization ID. The publisher will then create audiences on your behalf. See the [Uploading Advertiser Data](/guides/clean-room/uploading-advertiser-data) guide for permission details.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Guides

Step-by-step instructions for working with Clean Room.

For publishers:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Setting Up Advertiser Connections" icon="link" href="/guides/clean-room/setting-up-advertiser-connections">
    Connect with advertisers in the Clean Room
  </Card>

  <Card title="Configuring Ad Server Targeting" icon="bullseye" href="/guides/clean-room/configuring-ad-server-targeting">
    Set up targeting in GAM or Microsoft Monetize
  </Card>

  <Card title="Sharing Proposal and Deal Information" icon="handshake" href="/guides/clean-room/sharing-proposal-and-deal-information">
    Configure PMP deals in GAM
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

For advertisers:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Uploading Advertiser Data" icon="upload" href="/guides/clean-room/uploading-advertiser-data">
    Upload first-party data to data sources
  </Card>

  <Card title="Creating Clean Room Audiences" icon="users" href="/guides/clean-room/creating-clean-room-audiences">
    Build matched and modeled audiences
  </Card>

  <Card title="Configuring Frequency Control" icon="clock" href="/guides/clean-room/configuring-frequency-control">
    Set up frequency caps for campaigns
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="No users matched between publisher and advertiser">
    This typically occurs when there are no common identifiers between the publisher and advertiser datasets.

    **Solution:**

    * Verify that both parties are using the same identifier types (e.g., both using hashed emails or both using mobile advertising IDs)
    * Check that identifier formatting is consistent (e.g., emails are lowercase and trimmed before hashing)
    * Ensure the publisher is collecting the necessary identifiers in their DMP setup
    * Consider using an ID Bridge provider to enable matching when parties don't share common identifiers
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Cannot create advertiser connection - organization ID not found">
    The advertiser's organization ID may be incorrect or the advertiser may not have a Permutive account set up yet.

    **Solution:**

    * Ask the advertiser to verify their organization ID by logging into Settings in the Permutive dashboard (format: xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx)
    * Ensure the advertiser has completed their Permutive account setup and signed the required Data Processing Agreement
    * Contact [Technical Services](mailto:technical-services@permutive.com) if you need to grant provisional access to a vault when publishers are ready to work with an advertiser
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Environment Compatibility

#### Core Product

| Environment | Supported    | Notes         |
| ----------- | ------------ | ------------- |
| Web         | <YesBadge /> | Full support  |
| iOS         | <NoBadge />  | Not supported |
| Android     | <NoBadge />  | Not supported |
| CTV         | <NoBadge />  | Not supported |
| API Direct  | <NoBadge />  | Not supported |

## Dependencies

Clean Room relies on the following products and configurations:

| Dependency            | Required | Description                                                                                                       |
| :-------------------- | :------- | :---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| DMP                   | ✓        | Publishers must have an active DMP setup to collect first-party data for matching                                 |
| Custom Cohorts        | ✓        | Custom cohorts are used as features for building modeled audiences and as the basis for matched cohorts           |
| Identity Solution     | \~       | When publisher and advertiser don't share common identifiers, an ID Bridge provider (WiNR, Tapad) may be required |
| Ad Server Integration | ✓        | An active integration with an ad server (GAM, Xandr) is required to activate and target clean room cohorts        |

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What identifiers can be used for matching?">
    Clean Room supports matching on hashed emails (SHA-256), mobile advertising IDs, and IP addresses. Both parties must use the same identifier type for matching to occur.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How long does it take to process uploaded data?">
    Data processing can take several hours depending on dataset size. You can monitor the data source status in the interface.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What's the difference between matched and modeled cohorts?">
    **Matched cohorts** contain only users who appear in both the publisher's and advertiser's datasets. **Modeled cohorts** extend reach by using lookalike technology to find similar users beyond the matched set.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Changelog

### 2025

**December 2025**

* Documentation restructured to follow new product documentation standards

<Info>
  For detailed changelog information, visit our
  [Changelog](https://changelog.permutive.com/).
</Info>