• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, May 28, 2025

Publishers and advertisers trying to build business while protecting consumer privacy have a dilemma on their hands: how do you do both?

One possible solution is being offered by Yahoo DSP, which has added Comscore’s AI powered ID-free audiences to its targeting suite. The goal is to provide a “scalable, privacy-by-design tool” that can be leveraged across desktop, mobile, and CTV, Yahoo DSP says.

This may go against the grain of brands and publishers that need to know as much as possible about their customers. But anonymity is increasingly being demanded by consumers. 

The Comscore integration builds on Yahoo DSP’s ID-free targeting strategies.

“Yahoo has long been committed to simplifying how advertisers reach their target audiences at scale in a privacy-forward way through our premium DSP,” says Giovanni Gardelli, vice president, ads data products, Yahoo DSP. 

Gardelli adds, “By offering Comscore ID-free audiences directly in our platform, we’re enabling our clients to deliver better outcomes while balancing the need for user privacy.”

The question remains: will consumers much care about this form of protection?

Studies show they might. For instance, a new survey by Android Authority found that 44.03% of consumers would use ProtonMail, a paid email service that promises end-to-end encryption and anonymity. Another 29.28% would use ProtonMail if it was free.

So the time may be right for further products in this area. 

Steve Bagdasarian, chief commercial officer for Comscore, claims, “This expanded partnership with Yahoo DSP empowers advertisers to activate AI-powered, ID-free audiences, reaching the right consumers without sacrificing performance or budget efficiency.”