Digiday reports that ad tech is rallying behind IAB Tech Lab's Trusted Server Framework after Apple's latest Safari restrictions, though doubts remain.
I get why. Server-side feels like a way to get the old tracking back.
But moving the collection point doesn't change what you're allowed to see. Walled gardens still block access, and more than 90% of the user journey was already untrackable before this update.
Server-side is a stopgap. It patches a pipe, not the model.
What holds up:
- Measure outcomes, not individual paths
- Work with aggregated groups instead of user-level IDs
- Retire last-click as your source of truth
Since the iOS change, I've said we're in a world of aggregated data. Apple's latest move is the final knife in user-level tracking.
If your plan depends on rebuilding the individual journey, you're funding a fool's errand with better plumbing.
Responding to Apple’s Safari crackdown pushes ad tech toward server-side solutions, but doubts remain, Digiday