Last chance to save

Prices rise for the Digiday Programmatic Marketing Summit after Mar. 24

REGISTER

WTF is piggybacking?

This article is a WTF explainer, in which we break down media and marketing’s most confusing terms. More from the series →

Piggyback rides can be fun for children. For website operators, not so much. 

Piggybacking — also known as cookie-syncing — is how an ad tech firm can drop a third-party cookie on a website’s visitors without being granted access by the website via another ad tech firm that the website has granted access, as covered in the explainer skit above. 

An issue with this third-party tracking daisy-chain is that it makes it difficult for website operators to rein in outside companies’ abilities to collect information about their audiences, which risks putting the operators in privacy regulators’ crosshairs.

More in Marketing

Future of Marketing Briefing: Agency operating systems face a differentiation problem

Analysts say half of agency AI platforms won’t survive the decade. Here’s how they plan to beat the odds.

Illustration of a performer balancing money weights on a tightrope, symbolizing how brand safety tools help marketers maintain performance and control.

Macy’s, Inc. is looking to leverage AI ahead of a cautious outlook for 2026

The company will continue its plans to close 65 Macy’s nameplate stores, as part of a previously announced 150 store closures.

The real winners of March Madness? Brands that move fast on NIL deals

Companies across sectors, from footwear to personal care, are racing to sign college basketball players.