Google’s announced phasing-out of third party cookies prompted fervent activity in the world of Adtech, as publishers and advertisers sought to furnish an alternative link to the end user. The result: alternative IDs, which can be broadly divided into two groups, deterministic and probabilistic. Functionally very similar to cookies, deterministic IDs create an anonymised profile of the end user, thus invalidating data security concerns, whilst allowing the exchange of user data with publishers and advertisers. Crucially, operating deterministic IDs requires consumer consent. Probabilistic IDs do not rely on first party data, but rather create an approximation of user identity based on information such as IP address, device type, and operating system[i]. Both privacy-focused alternatives have been growing ever more popular with publishers seeking solutions to aid the smooth transition into a post-cookie world.
For a detailed analysis of alternative IDs, please read Andrew Byrd’s article on the top ten alternative ID solutions and how to use them, here.
[i] A Guide to Alternative IDs in the Post-Cookie World (themediagrid.com)
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