What is the i cookie?
A third-party cookie that assigns a unique identifier to a user's device to facilitate interest-based advertising and cross-site tracking.
Table of Contents
About i
| Vendor | OpenX |
|---|---|
| Cookie Domain | openx.net |
| 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 13.8% of scanned pages |
| Expiration Type | Timestamp |
| Expiration Duration | 30 days |
| Party Type Party Type Whether the cookie is first-party or third-party. Learn more | 3rd-Party |
| 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 | High |
| Vendor Privacy Policy | https://www.openx.com/privacy-center/openx-ad-exchange-privacy-policy/ |
| Vendor Website | https://www.openx.com |
What is the purpose of i?
The i cookie is an online identifier set by the OpenX programmatic advertising exchange. It contains a random string (a UUID) used to recognize a device along with a timestamp marking the string's creation. By matching this unique identifier with data from other advertising partners through cookie-sync and user-match calls, OpenX can recognize users across different websites, build interest-based profiles, and deliver targeted, cross-context behavioral advertisements. The identifier also supports ad frequency capping and measurement of advertising campaign effectiveness within the OpenX Ad Exchange.
What are the Privacy Risks of i?
Risk Level: High
This cookie assigns a persistent, unique identifier used to track user behavior across multiple independent websites over an extended period (roughly one year). Because it is explicitly used for cross-context behavioral advertising, profiling, and sharing insights with third-party demand partners for real-time bidding, it carries a high privacy risk concerning pseudonymous data being shared with numerous external parties.
How to Remove i from a Website
The OpenX i cookie is typically set when a website utilizes an OpenX tag, a programmatic supply-side integration, or a header bidding wrapper configured to use OpenX as a bidder. To remove this cookie, website administrators must locate and remove the OpenX script or integration from the website's source code or tag management system. If completely removing the vendor's service is not desired, administrators must adjust their ad integration or wrapper configuration to disable OpenX as a bidder or supply partner, since this identifier cookie is intrinsic to OpenX operating and cannot be disabled independently while keeping the OpenX service active.