AI Tech CEO Pronounced Third-Party Cookies Would Die Soon — It's Coming True

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The following post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga.

The third-party web cookie is arguably one of the most controversial and debated topics in the digital world. Governments and groups around the globe have been discussing the hot-button issue more as security and privacy concerns continue to grow.

Digital out-of-home advertising technology company Alfi ALF is one example of a company that has taken an aggressive stance against cookies in its tech. Alfi’s CEO Paul Pereira said in an interview with Benzinga that he made the bold claim of the death of the cookie back at an industry presentation in 2019. “We felt the cookie was intrusive and it didn’t serve a good purpose,” said Pereira. “I started that presentation by saying the cookie is going to die — here we are, fast-forward to today, and you can see the third-party cookie is, in fact, dying.”

Alfi operates a unique platform that can tailor live ads to the people in front of the screen but does not store any kind of personal information by using AI in real-time to analyze and categorize attributes and demographics.

The Writing on the Wall

Cookies work by storing data that can be quite helpful in cases such as first-party cookies for a website that allows users to stay logged in and retain preferences. However, third-party cookies are not for the website’s owner and are mostly used for the sake of targeting and tracking advertisements.

Voices on both sides of the topic have become increasingly vocal into 2021, especially with recent events such as Google GOOGL continuously updating its progress on Privacy Sandbox, a tool that looks to eliminate third-party cookies in the Chrome browser by 2023.

Baking Better Privacy

The end of third-party cookies could mean a lot for privacy and security worldwide. However, it’s unlikely that third-party cookies will simply be eliminated all at one time. Even with Google phasing them out around 2023, other browsers may not do so as quickly. 

Ultimately though, it may be that the best steps toward privacy and security are through innovative new ways to process and understand data with the preferences of the user in mind. 

Pereira described Alfi’s platform as being intentionally made to be disruptive in the sector while also focusing on respecting consumers. “We have no need for cookies — we use computer vision powered by machine learning models to be completely privacy compliant.”

The preceding post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga. Although the piece is not and should not be construed as editorial content, the sponsored content team works to ensure that any and all information contained within is true and accurate to the best of their knowledge and research. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice.