Glossary/Privacy & Identity/Universal ID
Privacy & Identity
Universal ID
A shared identifier across the ad ecosystem meant to replace third-party cookies.
By Brandon Mina·CEO, BrandPilot AI·Updated November 2026
Short answer
A universal ID is a shared identifier used across the advertising ecosystem, intended as a replacement for third-party cookies. Most are built from hashed, consented emails or logins and let publishers, platforms and advertisers recognize the same user consistently for targeting, frequency capping and measurement.