PRIVACY-CONSCIOUS IDENTITY

Your Identity Strategy Should Not Break When Browser Rules Change

When identity depends on a third-party browser cookie, one platform change can fragment audiences, weaken measurement, and reduce the value of approved first-party data. UID2 offers a more durable way to use authenticated identifiers across participating open-internet advertising workflows.

Durable Identity Keeps Approved First-Party Intelligence Useful Where Supported

THE FRAGILE IDENTITY PROBLEM

When One Buyer Looks Like Five Strangers Your Marketing Loses the Thread

The same person may appear in your CRM, on your website, inside an audience, and across connected advertising environments. When those systems cannot recognize the relationship, the intelligence fragments.

That can create smaller usable audiences, inconsistent suppression, repeated messaging, weaker measurement, and greater dependence on whichever identity method one platform allows.

UID2 IN PLAIN ENGLISH

UID2 Converts Authenticated Contact Data Into a Protected Identifier

Unified ID 2.0 is an open-source identity framework for supported open-internet advertising workflows. It can convert authenticated email addresses or phone numbers into protected identifiers that authorized participants use without passing raw contact details through the advertising transaction.

The framework uses hashing, rotating salts, encryption, token controls, and a consumer opt-out mechanism. Participation and compatibility depend on the destination, partner, agreement, and technical workflow.

FIRST-PARTY RELATIONSHIPS

Authenticated Data

UID2 is designed to help advertisers use approved data from real customer or prospect relationships.

INTEROPERABILITY

Participating Workflows

Commercial and proprietary identity solutions can integrate where the required support and participation exist.

SECURITY

Protected Identifiers

Technical controls reduce exposure of the underlying contact data inside supported workflows.

CONSUMER CONTROL

An Opt-Out Mechanism

People can opt out of UID2 through its Transparency and Control Portal.

ACCURACY MATTERS

UID2 Improves Portability It Does Not Replace Consent or Verification

NOT AUTOMATIC OR UNIVERSAL

Participation Still Matters

UID2 is an open-source, standalone framework currently administered by The Trade Desk. Access and use depend on the required participation agreements, permissions, and technical support.

NOT SUPPORTED EVERYWHERE

Compatibility Varies

Compatibility depends on the destination, partner, participation agreement, and technical workflow.

NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR CONSENT

Governance Still Matters

Organizations still need appropriate notices, permissions, contracts, governance, and legal review.

NOT PROOF A RECORD IS CORRECT

Verification Still Matters

UID2 helps connect identity in supported workflows. It does not verify a profile, establish business fit, or prove buying intent.

IDENTITY THAT CAN MOVE

UID2 Helps Identity Move Smart Marketer Makes the Intelligence Worth Moving

Smart Marketer uses UID2-compatible identity workflows where supported to help approved audiences and first-party intelligence move through the open-internet ecosystem without depending on a third-party browser cookie.

That identity layer works alongside contact verification, NCOALink-based address quality, behavioral signals, ideal-customer criteria, platform rules, and real outcomes. No single identifier replaces the complete intelligence system.

Durable Identity Is Useful Durable Identity Connected to Buyer Intent Is More Valuable

START WITH YOUR BUSINESS

See How Identity and Buyer Behavior Work Together

A Traffic Intelligence Evaluation shows how identity, behavior, qualification, and activation work together on approximately 14 days of your own website traffic—without asking you to evaluate a technical framework in the abstract.

Real visitors · Real behavior · A clear explanation

RELATED READING

See the Rest of the Foundation

Our Data →

See the intelligence foundation behind Smart Pixel and Audience Smart.

Where We Get Our Data →

Understand the identity, behavior, first-party, and outcome data streams.

NCOA →

See how recurring address-update processing supports current household identity.