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Partners LoginAs third-party cookies phase out and privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA tighten, marketers face a growing “identity gap.” Fragmented data across devices makes it nearly impossible to maintain a 360-degree customer view.
An identity graph is the solution to this fragmentation. It is a unified database that stitches together disconnected signals—such as hashed emails, device IDs, and CTV signals—into a single, anonymous individual or household profile.
1. How an Identity Graph Works: Nodes and Edges
To understand an identity graph, think of it as a map of the digital world.
- Nodes: These are the individual “points” of data, such as a laptop’s browser ID, a mobile device’s MAID, or a household’s IP address.
- Edges: these are the “links” or relationships established between those nodes.
By mapping these relationships, the graph allows a brand to recognize that a user who saw an ad on their Connected TV is the same person who later searched for the product on their smartphone.
2. The Intent IQ Hybrid Advantage: Accuracy vs. Scale
Historically, marketers had to choose between two methods of identity resolution:
- Deterministic Matching: Uses verified links (like a login). It is 100% accurate but lacks scale because users aren’t always logged in.
- Probabilistic Matching: Uses AI to predict links based on patterns (like IP address and location). It has massive scale but lower accuracy.
Intent IQ’s Hybrid Approach: We utilize a deterministic seed to train our AI models. This allows us to achieve 92–97% deterministic-level accuracy while maintaining the massive reach of a probabilistic model—covering over 80% of ad inventory across 110 million households.
3. Expert Insight: Untangling Cross-Device Identity
Identity isn’t just about one person; it’s about households and environments. In this interview, Intent IQ’s CTO explains how clustering technology enables cross-device targeting without sacrificing privacy.
4. Why Identity Graphs are Essential for 2026
- Cross-Device Attribution: Stop guessing. Connect a CTV view to a mobile conversion accurately.
- Frequency Capping: Avoid “ad fatigue” by ensuring a user doesn’t see the same ad 15 times across different screens.
- Cookieless Future-Proofing: Replace decaying 3rd-party cookies with stable, privacy-compliant identifiers like First-Party ID clusters.
5. Identity Graphs FAQs
No. A Customer Data Platform (CDP) stores your first-party data. An identity graph is the “intelligence layer” that links that data to the wider digital ecosystem (the open web).
A privacy-first graph, like Intent IQ’s, uses one-way hashed identifiers. This means we can recognize a user without ever knowing their actual name or raw email address.
Accuracy decays quickly. Intent IQ re-evaluates its graph every 24–48 hours to ensure connections remain fresh and accurate.