Server-side tracking (and server-side tagging) is often described as a solution to many of the issues that plague the data industry. Whether it fixes third-party cookies or gets your data back from ad blockers, server-side is considered a tool that helps recover data from the abyss.

In this presentation, Simo will make the claim that if you're using server-side for data recovery, you're using it wrong.

For one, there's a reason that data is gone. Users have agency, and they exercise that agency by signalling to the data controller that they do not wish to be tracked. Ad blockers, web browsers, and other privacy-enhancing tools are an extension of the user's agency, and if you use server-side technology to circumvent them, you are disrespecting your user's right to dictate their own web experience.

So what is server-side good for? Control. It's an absolutely fantastic tool for control, and in today's age of regulatory compliance and privacy sensitivity, control is more important than ever before.

Simo will walk you through different manifestations of control, showing you that data recovery, especially in terms of data quality, is definitely possible to do with server-side technologies without eroding user agency.