Experian launches cookie-less audience insights tool

Experian Match, which uses InfoSum technology, uses first-party cookies and provides insights about the likely characteristics of online audiences.

The tool works by matching existing first-party IDs from publishers and overlaying them with socio-demographic data, and performs matching without consumer registration.

Experian said the tool would allow people to indicate their preferences easily and opt-out at any time, and that the use of a “decentralised architecture” meant that data would not need to be continually shared between publishers and advertisers.

The release of Experian Match comes as several high-profile technology firms have shifted away from third-party cookies, with Google set to block cookies by the end of next year. Many mainstream browsers, such as Safari and Firefox, have already disabled third-party cookies.

Colin Grieves, managing director of marketing services at Experian, said: “Online publishers are already facing increasing pressure on advertising revenue due to existing browsers’ limitations and the challenges associated with scaling user registration.

“This will increase further with the end of third-party cookies.”

He added that Experian Match would provide the public with greater confidence in how their data is used, “knowing that it will not be continually shared between publishers and advertisers but will be used in a more controlled and secure way”.