B&TB&TB&T
  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Technology
  • Regulars
    • Agency Scorecards
    • Best of the Best
    • Campaigns of the Month
    • CMO Power List
    • CMOs to Watch
    • Culture Bites
    • Fast 10
    • New Business Winners
    • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • Jobs
  • Awards
    • 30 Under 30
    • B&T Awards
    • Cairns Crocodiles
    • Women In Media
    • Women Leading Tech
Search
Trending topics:
  • Cairns Crocodiles
  • Nine
  • Seven
  • Cannes Lions
  • State of Origin
  • WPP
  • NRL
  • B&T Women in Media
  • Thinkerbell
  • Pinterest
  • AFL
  • imaa
  • Anthony Albanese
  • Meta
  • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • AI
  • ARN
  • TV Ratings
  • Radio Ratings
  • Sports Marketing

  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.
Reading: IAB Reveals Cookie Replacement, With Personalisation And Privacy To Boot
Share
B&TB&T
Subscribe
Search
  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Technology
  • Regulars
    • Agency Scorecards
    • Best of the Best
    • Campaigns of the Month
    • CMO Power List
    • CMOs to Watch
    • Culture Bites
    • Fast 10
    • New Business Winners
    • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • Jobs
  • Awards
    • 30 Under 30
    • B&T Awards
    • Cairns Crocodiles
    • Women In Media
    • Women Leading Tech
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.
B&T > Technology > IAB Reveals Cookie Replacement, With Personalisation And Privacy To Boot
Technology

IAB Reveals Cookie Replacement, With Personalisation And Privacy To Boot

Staff Writers
Published on: 13th February 2020 at 11:48 AM
Staff Writers
Share
6 Min Read
Business and technology concept.
SHARE

The IAB is working on a way to replace third-party cookies, revealing Project Rearc (re-architecture) at a conference in the US this week.

The project will bring together IAB, IAB Tech Lab, government and the private sector to help create new technologies to power personalised online advertising.

Making the announcement, IAB CEO Randall Rothenberg said Project Rearc is about harmonising “personalisation, privacy, and community”.

“Let’s call this new effort Project ‘Rearc’,” he said.

“Rearc has a deliberate double meaning: It means we’re going to dig in together literally to rearchitect how digital marketing works, so the three values of privacy, personalisation, and community can work together.

“It also means we’re going to change the trajectory – the arc – of digital media and marketing, to put consumers in the safe, sane, exciting center of everything we do.”

how did we get here?

Although the announcement came less than a month after Google revealed it would be blocking third-party cookies on Chrome within the next two years, cookies have been out of fashion for some time.

But as Rothenberg explained, the online advertising industry –  which was recently valued at over $US100 billion – still owes a lot to cookies.

“Let’s agree that third-party cookies were – excuse me, are – imperfect,” he said.

“But for all their flaws and warts, they have been central to the way advertising works in digital environments, and therefore central the creation of the entire Internet economy.”

Project Rearc marks an opportunity for the industry to rebuild from the ground up.

“But we also have created a messy and frightening marketplace built on the collection and use of personal information that scares the daylights out of a lot of people because they don’t understand it and cannot control it,” Rothenberg said.

“We’ve built it in a way that requires a doctorate in engineering to understand. Governments have rightly stepped in to attempt to offer fixes, but their laws also are difficult to comprehend, by consumers and businesses alike.

“The coming death of the third-party cookie allows us to fix all of that. It is an opportunity to change the economics of personal data so it – and its outcomes – favor consumers.”

how will it work?

There are some inherent challenges to Project Rearc.

To create personalised advertising solutions requires consumer data and – as we know – collecting consumer data will always come with privacy risks.

So how will Project Rearc tread this fine line?

It was suggested by AdExchanger Project Rearc could involve using hashed email addresses to track users, however Rothenberg took to Twitter to deny the rumours.

https://twitter.com/r2rothenberg/status/1227647954669821952

The specifics for Project Rearc are still mostly unclear, but just like Google’s Privacy Sandbox, the IAB wants to work with the industry in creating a replacement for third-party cookies.

During his address, Rothenberg implored brands, agencies, publishers and technology providers to invest in data leadership, implement best practices and apply best practices to the procurement process to help kick start Project Rearc.

“The time has come,” he said. “The third-party cookie will soon be dead. Let’s get to what is next. Let the rearchitected, harmonised Internet begin here and now.”

project rearc Australia

While some of the project will be localised within the US, it is without a doubt a global initiative.

Speaking with B&T, IAB Australia CEO Gai Le Roy confirmed Australian stakeholders would be asked to share their thoughts on Project Rearc.

“IAB Australia will be working closely with the global technical standards body IAB Tech Lab on this project and local consultation will be undertaken. There are phased approaches for the different work streams and our various local working groups will be reviewing all initiatives and ensuring we are developing frameworks that are suitable for our local market needs and regulations,” Le Roy said.

“IAB Australia is fully supportive of the approach announced for Project Rearc at the IAB Annual Leadership Meeting, it is an amazing opportunity for the industry to build a wide range of approaches that will drive more effective experiences for consumers, media owners and marketers.

“This project will have a number of work streams that will focus the industry’s attention on harmonization of personalization, trust and community. Obviously one of the most important areas of focus is on developing new identifiers to replace third-party cookies that have consumer privacy and consent front and centre.”

 

Join more than 30,000 advertising industry experts
Get all the latest advertising and media news direct to your inbox from B&T.

No related posts.

TAGGED: IAB, third-party cookies
Share
Staff Writers
By Staff Writers
Follow:
Staff Writers represent B&T's team of award-winning reporters. Here, you'll find articles crafted with industry experience spanning over 50 years. Our team of specialists brings together a wealth of knowledge and a commitment to delivering insightful, topical, and breaking news. With a deep understanding of advertising and media, our Staff Writers are dedicated to providing industry-leading analysis and reporting, both shaping the conversation and setting the benchmark for excellence.

Latest News

The Search For The Women’s Weekly’s New Home Begins As Are Media Goes Up For Sale
11/07/2025
Cindy Rose Appointed WPP CEO
10/07/2025
Dame Lisa Carrington.
Zespri Teams Up With World Champion Kayaker Dame Lisa Carrington In Global Partnership
10/07/2025
Agency Scorecard: EssenceMediacom
10/07/2025
//

B&T is Australia’s leading news publication magazine for the advertising, marketing, media and PR industries.

 

B&T is owned by parent company The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.

About B&T

  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise

Top Categories

  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Opinion
  • Technology
  • TV Ratings

Sign Up for Our Newsletter



B&TB&T
Follow US
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Register Lost your password?