miji.beFirst-party data is user data that a company collects directly through its own channels (website, app, stores, CRM, and so on). Safari blocks third-party cookies completely by default (WebKit announcement of March 2020), and Firefox uses Total Cookie Protection, which stores cookies separately for each site by default (Mozilla announcement of June 2022, updated August 2024). In April 2025, Google announced that Chrome would keep its current approach, in which users choose how third-party cookies are handled in their settings. Against the backdrop of these browser practices and of privacy-related regulations, first-party data is drawing attention.
A characteristic of first-party data is that, because it is obtained directly from users, the source of the data is clear. Specifically, this includes site visit history, purchase data, membership registration information, survey responses, and customer support conversation records. These are integrated into a CDP (customer data platform) and used for segmentation and personalization.
Click data from a URL shortener is cited as an example of first-party data. The click date and time, referral source, device information, and location information of short URLs a company issues itself can be managed in-house without depending on third parties. By connecting this data to a CDP, it becomes possible to measure the effectiveness of offline campaigns (flyers, business cards, signs) and to visualize the user journey.
When handling first-party data, transparency in data collection is required. Concrete measures include disclosure in the privacy policy, offering opt-in/opt-out, and limiting the purposes for which data is used. For short URL click data as well, one approach is to disclose the fact of tracking to users and, where needed, to provide a mechanism that lets them choose a direct link without tracking.