As Cookies Disappear: What Tracking Technologies Will Replace Them?

Cookies are slowly dying on browsers, but the need to track user behavior has not disappeared. So where are cookies going, and what technology is replacing them?

Image depicting a cookie recording a user

For years, cookies have been the backbone of tracking and personalizing online experiences. But as users become increasingly concerned about privacy, major browsers like Safari, Firefox, and soon Chrome are phasing out third-party cookies.

However, the need for businesses, advertisers, and e-commerce platforms to understand user behavior remains. And that opens the door to new tracking technologies.

Avoid cookies, meet new "experts"

Cookies were invented in 1994 by programmer Lou Montulli while working for Netscape, with the original purpose of helping websites remember shopping carts and user experience. Over the years, cookies have become the "backbone" of online advertising: from remembering logins, suggesting products, to tracking behavior across multiple websites to build user profiles.

However, cookies are also controversial . Users are increasingly aware that every move on the Internet can be recorded and sold to third parties. Remarketing campaigns, for example, after you search for sneakers on an e-commerce platform, shoe ads will "chase" you across Facebook, YouTube, online newspapers... are annoying.

As cookies become less useful, new technologies emerge. Fingerprinting is one example: this system collects data about the device, browser, screen resolution, even installed fonts… to create a nearly unique “digital fingerprint”.

Another method is pixel tracking, popular on Facebook and Google, which tracks whether you open an email, click a link, or make a purchase. On mobile, Apple’s IDFA and Google’s GAID have become important identifiers for advertising.

These technologies have the advantage of being harder for users to "erase" like cookies . But that also means privacy becomes more fragile, as digital traces follow you everywhere without you even knowing.

The "post-cookie" future of privacy

Under pressure from public opinion and regulations, technology corporations are forced to shift to a "privacy-first" model - prioritizing privacy right from the design.

Google is testing the Topics API, which lets Chrome share only groups of topics of interest (e.g., technology, sports, travel ) instead of detailed behavior. Apple is implementing an App Tracking Transparency policy, requiring apps to ask for permission before tracking users.

In Europe, GDPR requires websites to be transparent about cookie placement, and in the US, the CCPA gives people more control over their data. These moves are changing the entire advertising industry.

In Vietnam, the impact is also becoming clear. E-commerce platforms, online newspapers and advertising businesses that rely heavily on cookies will face challenges: third-party data will no longer be easily accessible, remarketing campaigns will be less effective.

Many businesses are forced to invest in first-party data, which is data collected from customers through registration, transactions, and customer care. At the same time, they must also learn to take advantage of new solutions such as server-side tracking or advertising ecosystems within major platforms (Google, Facebook, TikTok).

For Vietnamese users, "privacy-first" brings a sense of security, but also raises the question: Do we really understand how we are being protected, or is it just a change in the form of tracking?

Tuan Vi

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/khi-cookie-dan-bien-mat-cong-nghe-theo-doi-nao-se-thay-the-20250919114249788.htm