The BasicsWhat is an identity graph?
An identity graph is a continuously updated map of which identifiers belong to the same person or household. Cookies, mobile advertising IDs, hashed emails, CTV device IDs and universal IDs are stored as points in the graph, and the links between them record that those signals were seen together, along with how confident the graph is in each connection.
Advertisers use identity graphs because one consumer rarely uses a single device. Someone may read the news on a phone, shop on a laptop and stream on a connected TV, and each of those screens produces a different identifier. Without a graph, those look like three unrelated users. With one, they become a single addressable audience that can be targeted, frequency-capped and measured across every screen.
Identity graphs are the output of identity resolution. For a broader introduction to the process, read our complete guide to identity resolution.