Hello everybody and welcome to another wonderful video. If you’re new here, subscribe to the channel to keep up to date and let’s just get into it.

The first thing we need to talk about is that cookies may be dying. 

That’s right, those delectable chocolate chip flavored cookies grandma used to put on websites that follow you like a lost puppy might be hitting the expiration date. 

Cookies for those who do not know are used to track your activity on the web. It’s basically an ID card on websites that can gather information. 

Google though has proposed that browsers would do some of the behavioral profiling that third-party trackers do today. 

However, a coalition of independent surveillance advertisers have a different plan. Instead of stuffing more tracking tech into the browser (which they don’t control), they’d like to use more stable identifiers, like email addresses, to identify and track users across their devices.

Unified Identifier 2.0, or UID2, is just one of the many ideas that fit this coalition’s plan for a cookie replacement. It isn’t a replacement per se of the cookie but it retains a good amount of functionality. But how does it work?

Well, in a nutshell, the UID2 is essentially a series of protocols for collecting, processing, and passing around users’ information. Unlike cookies or Google’s proposed idea, UID2 doesn’t focus on the browser but does focus on the information and how it’s shared. Let’s break it down. 

1. A publisher (like a website or app) asks a user for their info, like an email address or a phone number. 
2. The publisher shares that info with a UID2 “operator” (an ad tech firm).
3. The operator hashes the info to generate a “Unified Identifier” (the UID2). This is the number that identifies the user in the system.
4. A centralized administrator (perhaps The Trade Desk itself) distributes encryption keys to the operator, who encrypts the UID2 to generate a “token.” The operator sends this encrypted token back to the publisher.
5. The publisher shares the token with advertisers.
6. Advertisers who receive the token can freely share it throughout the advertising supply chain.
7. Any ad tech firm who is a “compliant member” of the ecosystem can receive decryption keys from the administrator. These firms can decrypt the token into a raw identifier (a UID2). 

Seeing as most people use email or phone numbers to log into just about every website already, makes this process fluid by just adding it into the workflow of design. This design also removes the need of the browser’s help. It relies on user information allowing users to be tracked across devices and more. And browsers can’t exactly stop a website from asking for user input.

Where does Google fit in though? Google may try to present several technologies as alternatives, and force us to choose between them and the coalition. Google’s committed to avoiding third-party identifiers. This doesn’t mean said identifiers are going away though. But with their power in regards to tracking and targeted ads, they can either complement the coalition or force their hand. 

I’m starting to feel like Google is that one date you find on Tinder that you swiped right on. You went on one date and now she follows you everywhere. No where is safe. Not even your own house.

Anyway, which technology do you expect to see come out of this battle? And more importantly, who stole the cookie from the cookie jar? I’d love to hear your opinions down in the comments section down below. Subscribe to the channel to stay up to date. And as always, I’ll see you guys in the next video.