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# Apple's Safari limits drive ad tech to server-side, with mixed results
- URL: https://adjacent.media/signals/apples-safari-limits-drive-ad-tech-to-server-side-with-mixed-results/
- Published: 2026-10-28T16:17:28.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-28T16:17:28.000Z
- Description: Apple’s third-party cookie restrictions are forcing publishers and ad networks to abandon browser-based targeting in favor of server-side solutions—moving data processing away from user devices where Apple can police it.
- Author: Jonathan Greene
- Tags: #signal, theme-brand, ad tech strategy, marketing infrastructure, identity resolution

Source: [Digiday](https://digiday.com/media-buying/apples-safari-crackdown-pushes-ad-tech-toward-server-side-solutions-but-doubts-remain/?utm%5Fcampaign=digidaydis&utm%5Fmedium=rss&utm%5Fsource=general-rss)

Apple's third-party cookie restrictions are forcing publishers and ad networks to abandon browser-based targeting in favor of server-side solutions—moving data processing away from user devices where Apple can police it. But the shift exposes a hard limit: without persistent identifiers, even server-side approaches struggle to stitch together user behavior across sites. The promised alternative is less effective than the infrastructure it's replacing. This creates a two-tier ad market where Apple's own advertising business benefits from first-party data advantages while competitors operate with inferior targeting at scale.