--- title: "Beyond Cookies: Industry Groups Work on New Ad-Tracking Tools" id: "20255" type: "post" slug: "beyond-cookies-industry-groups-work-on-new-ad-tracking-tools" published_at: "2013-11-04T23:44:59+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-15T21:23:48+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/11/04/beyond-cookies-industry-groups-work-on-new-ad-tracking-tools/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/11/04/beyond-cookies-industry-groups-work-on-new-ad-tracking-tools.md" excerpt: "With third-party cookies losing momentum among browser providers and on mobile devices, two major ad-industry groups are working on an alternative for tracking users' online activity. But privacy advocates are concerned that users could end up with less control over..." taxonomy_category: - "Advocacy" taxonomy_post_tag: - "Advertising" - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "privacy" - "trucking" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Industry Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Beyond Cookies: Industry Groups Work on New Ad-Tracking Tools Cookies—the small files stored on your computer whenever you visit a webpage—are feeling the crunch. With the long-used online tracking mechanism looking vulnerable to changes by popular browser providers and the rise of mobile devices, the advertising industry is looking for new ways to target users. That’s setting up a clash with privacy advocates. More details: **The issue:** Recently, [browser publisher Mozilla](http://associationsnow.com/2013/02/firefoxs-cookie-crunch-advertisers-privacy-advocates-at-odds/) announced it would begin blocking third-party cookies in its Firefox browser, a move criticized by the ad industry, which relies on those tracking mechanisms to target consumers. “Beyond jeopardizing the amount and quality of content available to users, the plan also threatens to immediately diminish the user experience, by breaking services and tools upon which online businesses and users depend,” the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) [wrote in June (opens in a new tab)](https://www.aboutads.info/daa-warns-mozilla-decision-threatens-diverse-free-internet-content) . But as *AdWeek* notes, [it was not an unprecedented move (opens in a new tab)](http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/mozillas-cookie-blocking-plan-forces-ad-biz-seek-alternatives-152988) , as mobile browsers often do not support cookies. **Next steps:** In recent weeks, two major advertising groups, the DAA and the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), have started to look for new ways to track and analyze user data and to create standards allowing users to opt out of tracking. “The industry thrives on the ability to define and identify audiences and target those audiences with specific advertising,” [IAB Vice President Steve Sullivan (opens in a new tab)](http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_24405778/google-apple-and-other-tech-giants-look-post) told the *San Jose Mercury News*. “We need to be able to do that.” Meanwhile, major browser providers, such as [Google (opens in a new tab)](http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/19/google-is-exploring-an-alternative-to-cookies-for-ad-tracking/?_r=0) and [Microsoft (opens in a new tab)](http://adage.com/article/digital/microsoft-cookie-replacement-span-desktop-mobile-xbox/244638/) , are looking for alternatives of their own. **Privacy groups concerned:** Privacy advocates, who have long raised concerns about cookies, say that new tracking techniques will be harder to monitor. One method that worries them is “[digital fingerprinting (opens in a new tab)](http://www.forbes.com/sites/adamtanner/2013/06/17/the-web-cookie-is-dying-heres-the-creepier-technology-that-comes-next/) ,” which creates nearly spot-on user profiles based on publicly available information about your computer (the size of your screen, the browser plug-ins you have installed, and so on.). [Speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle (opens in a new tab)](http://www.sfgate.com/technology/dotcommentary/article/Ad-groups-developing-standard-opt-out-technology-4870380.php) , privacy researcher Jonathan Mayer said that the newer tracking methods could take more control away from the user. “It’s a lot harder to find out if they’ve been tagged, to do something about it in a reliable way, and, depending on what the technique is, to counteract it in a way that doesn’t undermine functionality,” Mayer said. Groups such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation have raised similar concerns. The DAA says that the new system, which is still in the works, would launch next year, around the time Mozilla’s Firefox ends its support for third-party cookies. (iStock/Thinkstock) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#Advertising](https://associationsnow.com/tag/advertising/) [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#privacy](https://associationsnow.com/tag/privacy/) [#trucking](https://associationsnow.com/tag/trucking/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoUrban Land Institute- Project Recovery: Rebuilding Los Angeles After the January 2025 WildfiresSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/urban-land-institute-project-recovery-rebuilding-los-angeles-after-the-january-2025-wildfires/) - [VideoThe Career Moves Every Association Leader Needs Right NowSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/the-career-moves-every-association-leader-needs-right-now/) - [VideoNCRA: Safeguarding Cancer Surveillance: An Advocacy Response to FY26 Budget ThreatsSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/ncra-safeguarding-cancer-surveillance-an-advocacy-response-to-fy26-budget-threats/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: All for the Love of Chicago: Rethinking the Destination ExperienceSeptember 10, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/10/associations-now-presents-all-for-the-love-of-chicago-rethinking-the-destination-experience/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2013%2F11%2F04%2Fbeyond-cookies-industry-groups-work-on-new-ad-tracking-tools%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !