Facebook, Google Go Beyond Cookies to Reap Data for Advertisers - Businessweek

Excerpt from a snapshot of potential post-cookie advertising/tracking realities

"Some programs track users by their IP addresses; others look at users’ operating systems and other factors. As of Aug. 1, anyone who wants to hawk new or updated Android apps in Google’s (GOOG) online store must catalog customers with Advertising ID, a unique number that corresponds to a particular customer. Google has confirmed that it’s working on ways to link mobile browser activity to app use. Advertising ID looks a lot like Apple’s system, Identifier for Advertising. In both cases, users can change their settings to limit tracking for advertising, but app makers keep finding ways around those restrictions. Facebook (FB), which can track user activity on any website that has a Like button, announced in June that it intends to ignore browsers’ do-not-track settings in order to better target ads. Its users can still opt out of some tracking by changing their browser settings at the website of the Digital Advertising Alliance, an industry group. Despite their new tracking methods, Apple, Google, and Facebook say they’re committed to making their data collection transparent and giving users control over their privacy settings."

Facebook, Google Go Beyond Cookies to Reap Data for Advertisers - Businessweek