What is the acs cookie?
The acs cookie assigns a unique identifier to website visitors to track behavior, perform audience segmentation, and deliver targeted programmatic advertising.
Table of Contents
About the acs cookie
| Vendor | Dstillery |
|---|---|
| Category Category The functional category of the technology, such as Web Analytics or Social Media. Learn more | Advertising & Paid Media |
| Consent Category Consent Category The consent category this cookie most commonly falls under across sites we scan, normalized into four standard categories. Learn more | Targeting & Advertising |
| Prevalence | Very Common |
| Popularity Popularity Popularity is calculated from our dataset of 4.5B+ cookies analyzed across hundreds of millions of web pages. Learn more | Found on 15% of scanned pages |
| Expiration Type | Mixed |
| Party Type Party Type Whether the cookie is first-party or third-party. Learn more | Mixed |
| Risk Level Risk Level Rates how sensitive the data stored by this cookie is (High, Medium, or Low) based on data classification and distribution. Learn more | Medium |
| Vendor Privacy Policy | https://dstillery.com/privacy-policy/ |
| Vendor Website | https://dstillery.com/ |
What is the purpose of the acs cookie?
The acs cookie is an advertising tracker set by Dstillery (formerly known as Media6Degrees, which rebranded to Dstillery in 2013). Its primary function is to track user browsing behavior and interests across multiple websites by assigning a unique, pseudonymous identifier to the visitor's browser. This data enables Dstillery to map cross-site interactions, build robust user profiles, and segment audiences based on predicted behaviors. Advertisers then utilize these segments to deliver highly targeted, programmatic advertising campaigns. Additionally, the cookie facilitates ID synchronization and data sharing within broader ad-tech ecosystems, ensuring that targeted ads reach the right users based on Dstillery's AI-driven audience models.
What are the Privacy Risks of the acs cookie?
Risk Level: Medium
This cookie presents a medium privacy risk because it is explicitly designed for cross-site behavioral tracking and audience profiling. While it relies on pseudonymous identifiers rather than direct Personally Identifiable Information (PII), the resulting profiles can reveal detailed insights into user preferences and habits. This data is regularly synced and shared with third-party advertising exchanges and Demand Side Platforms (DSPs) to optimize targeted ad delivery.
How to Remove the acs cookie from a Website
To remove the acs cookie, the website administrator must identify and remove the Dstillery (formerly Media6Degrees) tracking tag or pixel from the website's source code or tag management system (e.g., Google Tag Manager). In the observed deployments the cookie is frequently delivered through bundled third-party integrations such as FullThrottle (LiveMarketShoppers / app.livemarketshoppers.com); in those cases the administrator must reconfigure or disable the relevant module within that vendor's platform, or remove that service entirely, since the acs cookie is integral to Dstillery's tracking and cannot be disabled independently while the tag remains active. If the integration is managed by a third-party marketing partner, the site operator should contact that vendor to have the Dstillery component removed at the account level. There is no way to retain the Dstillery/Media6Degrees advertising service while preventing this cookie from being set.