Fact Check: 133 vendors and 67 ad partners may process and store personal data from your device, including cookies and unique identifiers.

Fact Check: "133 vendors and 67 ad partners may process and store personal data from your device, including cookies and unique identifiers."

What We Know

The claim that "133 vendors and 67 ad partners may process and store personal data from your device, including cookies and unique identifiers" is rooted in recent disclosures from various websites regarding their data-sharing practices. According to a report from WIRED, many popular websites have begun to reveal the number of third-party partners they share data with, particularly in the wake of new cookie consent regulations. For instance, some sites are reported to share data with over 1,500 partners, with specific numbers varying widely across different platforms.

In a specific example, a site was noted to have shared data with "136 TCF vendor(s) and 66 ad partner(s)" (EPI Users). This aligns closely with the figures mentioned in the claim, indicating that such numbers are plausible within the context of current digital advertising practices.

Analysis

The evidence supporting the claim comes from multiple sources that detail the extent of data sharing by websites. The Proposed Rule from the Department of Justice indicates a growing concern over how personal data is handled and shared, especially with the rise of digital advertising. This regulatory backdrop underscores the importance of transparency in data sharing, which has led to cookie pop-ups that disclose the number of partners involved in data processing.

However, while the claim is plausible, it is essential to consider the variability in the number of vendors and partners reported by different websites. The WIRED analysis highlights that some websites report sharing data with significantly more partners than the figures in the claim. Furthermore, the exact nature of the data processed (e.g., cookies, unique identifiers) can differ from one vendor to another, complicating the interpretation of these numbers.

The reliability of the sources used to substantiate the claim is generally high, particularly the WIRED report, which involved manual verification of the data-sharing disclosures from the top 10,000 websites. However, the context in which these numbers are presented can vary, and not all websites disclose their data-sharing practices uniformly.

Conclusion

The claim that "133 vendors and 67 ad partners may process and store personal data from your device, including cookies and unique identifiers" is Partially True. While the specific numbers may not apply universally across all websites, they reflect a broader trend where many sites do share data with a significant number of partners. The figures cited in the claim are corroborated by credible sources, but the variability and context of data sharing practices mean that the claim does not represent a universal truth applicable to every website.

Sources

1. Proposed Rule
2. The Post-Cookie Digital Advertising Landscape
3. Compliance of this site with GDPR is NOT acceptable
4. Some of the Most Popular Websites Share Your Data With Over 1,500 ...
5. 3 New State Privacy Laws Begin July 1, 2024
6. Cookies, the GDPR, and the ePrivacy Directive - GDPR.eu
7. Guidelines 1/2024 on processing of personal data based on ...
8. Purpose: Store and/or access information on a device