Understanding Email Hashing: A Key Tool for Digital Publishers

The jury is out - the neverending debate about “will they or won’t they” abandon third-party cookies continues to impact publishers and advertisers alike. The outcomes and vision of larger dedicated efforts like the Privacy Sandbox are in the works, but not immediate. In an increasingly privacy-conscious digital ecosystem, email hashing has emerged as a critical technology for digital publishers. This blog post will examine what email hashing is, share relevant statistics, explain why it matters to digital publishers, and introduce Ezoic's innovative solution, Ezoic Identity.

What is Email Hashing?

For years, advertisers have heavily depended on cookies to collect user information and effectively target audiences. According to Statista, “nearly 83% of marketers rely on the data gathered by third-party cookies to inform their campaigns and advertising, building both awareness and sales” (source). Regardless of when third-party cookies get phased out, we’re seeing a shift in the reliance on alternatives like first-party data which includes email addresses. Emails are rapidly emerging as the most dependable means for cross-device identification. With this in mind, we’re seeing email hashing trends become more popular as a means of collecting information. Email hashing is a process that transforms an email address into a unique string of characters using a hashing algorithm. The most commonly used algorithms include MD5, SHA-1, and SHA-256. This transformation is one-way, meaning that once an email is hashed, it cannot be reverted to its original form.

For example, hashing the email address "[email protected]" using the MD5 algorithm might produce a hash like "5f4dcc3b5aa765d61d8327deb882cf99". This hashed value is unique to the original email, providing a layer of privacy while still allowing for user identification across different platforms.

Relevant Statistics

To understand the impact and importance of email hashing, consider the following statistics:

• Data Privacy Concerns: According to a 2023 survey by Pew Research Center, 79% of internet users are concerned about how their data is being used by companies (source).
• Ad Spending: Global digital ad spending is expected to reach $526 billion in 2024, with publishers increasingly seeking reliable ways to target and measure their audience without compromising privacy (source).

Why Should Digital Publishers Care?

Email hashing offers several benefits for digital publishers:

• Enhanced Privacy: By converting email addresses into hashed values, publishers can ensure user privacy while still being able to track and identify users across different platforms.
• Compliance with Regulations: Email hashing helps publishers comply with data protection regulations such as GDPR and CCPA, which emphasize the importance of user consent and data minimization.
• Improved Targeting: Hashed emails allow publishers to maintain accurate user profiles and deliver personalized content and advertisements, leading to better engagement and higher revenue.
• Resilience to Cookie Deprecation: As third-party cookies are phased out, hashed emails provide a reliable alternative for user identification and tracking.

Ezoic's Solution: Ezoic Identity

At Ezoic, we understand the challenges digital publishers face in maintaining user privacy while optimizing ad performance. That's why we've developed Ezoic Identity, an ID solution that allows publishers to share a hashed version of a user’s email with vendors such as Google and Prebid’s User Identity modules and bidders. 

Key Features of Ezoic Identity

• Privacy-First Approach: Ezoic Identity uses industry-standard hashing algorithms to ensure that user email addresses are securely hashed and protected.
• Cross-Platform Identification: By using hashed emails, Ezoic Identity allows publishers to recognize and engage users across different devices and platforms without relying on third-party cookies.
• Compliance and Transparency: Ezoic Identity is designed to help publishers comply with privacy regulations, providing transparent consent management and data usage practices.
• Enhanced Ad Performance: With accurate user identification, publishers can deliver more targeted and relevant ads, leading to improved ad performance and higher revenue.

In conclusion, email hashing is an essential tool for digital publishers and advertisers alike as data privacy and user identification continue to be a necessity for businesses. By adopting solutions like Ezoic Identity, publishers can ensure they remain compliant, enhance user privacy, and continue to deliver high-quality, personalized content to their audience.