In the world of online tracking, the cookie is king—but there may be a regime change on the horizon. Cookies are under more regulatory scrutiny than ever, especially in Europe, but even as legislation seeks to make cookie use more privacy protective, the technology itself is on the way out. Instead, server-side tracking alternatives and embedded device identifiers, mainly in the hands of Internet giants like Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Apple, are poised to supplant cookies in the digital tracking market. Thus, it is important to analyze the effect of these changes in the techno-business landscape on the EU regulatory framework. IAPP Westin Research Fellow Kelsey Finch examines how this new technology is likely to be viewed and regulated in the European Union. (Editor’s Note: The IAPP Data Protection Congress will explore these issues Dec. 10 through 12, in Brussels.)
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