Digital marketing leaders cannot rely on user-level identifiers like they used to. Sparked by global privacy legislation (e.g., General Data Protection Regulation, California Consumer Privacy Act) and consumers’ growing demand for greater ownership over their digital identities, device makers and web browsers are making efforts to advance data privacy for internet users. Although these advancements may empower internet users, they adversely affect marketers’ digital advertising efforts.

In particular, two major developments are upending digital marketing teams’ ability to target users across websites, channels and devices:

Third-party cookies crumble. Google Chrome, the world’s most popular  web browser, plans to phase out the use of third-party cookies in late 2023, following in the footsteps of Safari and Firefox. (See Google to Drop All the Cookies, but Hold the Cards.)

Apple restricts the use of device identifiers. As part of its iOS 14.5 update, Apple’s AppTrackingTransparency framework requires third-party app developers to prompt Apple device users to opt in or out of all app-specific targeting or tracking. (See Apple Upsets the Digital Advertising Cart.)