This week brought two major headlines from Google that underscore the volatility—and importance—of digital identity infrastructure.

First, a federal judge found Google guilty of illegally monopolizing key portions of the ad tech ecosystem. Then, just days later, Google announced an indefinite hold on its long-promised plan to phase out third-party cookies in Chrome, over which much ink has been spilled and many millions of dollars spent.

While both developments are notable, neither changes the strategic direction forward-thinking advertisers—including DSPolitical—have been taking for years.

Delay or Not, Cookie Deprecation Is Already Reality

It’s no surprise that Google has again delayed its plans to deprecate third-party cookies. The complexities of overhauling the digital advertising ecosystem, combined with regulatory scrutiny and industry resistance, have made the transition slower than expected. But that doesn’t change the broader landscape.

Cookies have already been deprecated in Safari and Firefox. In mobile app environments and on Connected TV (CTV), cookies were never an option. The “cookieless future” is not hypothetical. The reality of a cookieless ecosystem has already taken hold across much of the digital landscape.

At DSPolitical, we’ve been preparing for this shift since 2016. We understand that successful digital programs—especially in politics—require more than reacting to platform decisions. They require proactive identity-based strategies that scale across all screens, browsers, and devices.

What Sets Our Identity Approach Apart

Our platforms are built on diverse, privacy-first identity solutions that don’t rely solely on third-party cookies. These include:

• Meta-onboarding technology designed for high match rates and scale
  Our proprietary approach enables seamless matching of voter files and CRM lists to digital identifiers—without relying solely on cookies—allowing us to activate audiences efficiently across platforms and devices.
• RampIDs, UID 2.0, HEMs, MAIDs, and authenticated IPs
  These durable identifiers provide the foundation for secure, privacy-compliant audience targeting, allowing us to maintain accuracy and reach even in environments where traditional identifiers are restricted or unavailable.
• Geolocation and contextual signals
  We incorporate geographic and content-based data to refine targeting and drive message relevance, especially in environments like mobile and CTV where granular identifiers may be limited.
• Robust audience-based targeting that maximizes reach and frequency in regulated, high-impact environments like CTV
  Connected TV has never supported third-party cookies, which makes it a proving ground for privacy-compliant, cookie-less targeting. Our strategy leverages authenticated identifiers and deterministic data to deliver voter-targeted messaging at scale across premium streaming inventory.
• Spine-to-spine ID sync with FreeWheel’s Identity Network
  Through our groundbreaking partnership FreeWheel’s demand-side platform, we’ve established a direct integration between our first-party voter file data and FreeWheel’s Identity Network. This spine-to-spine ID sync enables precise household-level targeting on CTV, effectively doubling available impressions compared to traditional methods. By eliminating intermediaries and reducing signal loss, we ensure our clients achieve unmatched reach, frequency, and efficiency in their CTV campaigns.

This flexible, future-ready infrastructure ensures that our clients—Democratic candidates, causes, and coalitions—can reach their audiences effectively, regardless of the shifting rules around cookies.

Antitrust Verdict Underscores Platform Risk

The antitrust ruling against Google is also a stark reminder of the risks associated with relying too heavily on a single dominant platform. At DSPolitical, we’ve long prioritized independence, diversification, and redundancy in our tech stack. This enables us to offer high-performance digital campaigns while remaining adaptable to regulatory and industry shifts.

Bottom Line: Keep Building for the Future

Google’s latest announcements don’t change the fundamentals of where the digital ad ecosystem is headed—they just reinforce the urgency of smart planning and resilient infrastructure.

At DSPolitical, we remain focused on helping our partners navigate this evolving landscape with confidence. Whether you’re planning for 2026 or responding to immediate electoral needs, our platform delivers identity-driven, audience-based solutions that perform in today’s privacy-first world—and tomorrow’s.