Data, identity & privacy

Advertising runs on recognising people across screens and sites. This track explains cookies, the IDs that try to replace them, clean rooms, the return of contextual targeting and the privacy laws that set the rules, in plain English.

intermediate · 5 lessons · 38 minutes

1. 01

   Cookies explained: first-party, third-party and syncing

   What a cookie really is, why third-party cookies powered ad tech for 25 years, how cookie syncing works, and why Chrome kept them after all.

   7 min
2. 02

   First-party data and the new IDs: UID2, RampID, MAIDs and more

   How logins, hashed emails and shared IDs like UID2, EUID, RampID and ID5 try to replace cookies, plus MAIDs, ATT and the 2024 ID bridging row.

   8 min
3. 03

   Data clean rooms: sharing insight without sharing data

   What a data clean room is, how two companies match audiences inside one without swapping raw customer lists, and where the privacy promises fall short.

   7 min
4. 04

   The contextual comeback: targeting the page, not the person

   Why contextual targeting is back, how modern AI-driven contextual works, how it compares with behavioral targeting, and where it can be gamed.

   7 min
5. 05

   Consent and privacy law: GDPR, TCF, GPP, CCPA and India's DPDP

   How GDPR, the IAB TCF, GPP, CCPA/CPRA and India's DPDP Act shape what ad tech may collect, and how consent travels through a bid request.

   9 min

Test yourself: Data, identity & privacy quiz