So you can deactivate Utiq, the ‘cookie’ of the large Spanish operators that identifies you by the Internet connection

In June of this year, a new actor landed in the world of online advertising in Spain. Until then we had known him by the name of Trustpid, the ‘supercookie’ of the big operators (Movistar, Orange and Jazztel), but shortly after it began to operate under another name: Utiq.

However, it still had to launch its new consent web portala necessary step to satisfy the legal obligation to give users the ability to revoke any authorization they have given to identify their phone line.

And this step was finally taken with the opening of its website ‘Consenthub’ from September 1.

But what is Utiq…

Utiq is presented as an alternative to the controversial cookies; You know, those temporary files that are stored in our browsers that often raise privacy concerns by storing sensitive user data. Those responsible for Utiq affirm that their proposal better preserves privacy while being able to offer personalized ads.

Until now, only the digital newspapers of large traditional mediasuch as El Mundo and ABC (in addition to numerous regional and provincial media), have implemented this system.

In addition, not all telecommunications operators have joined the initiative so far. It is extraordinarily surprising that Vodafone is not on that listdespite the fact that Utiq is nothing more than an evolution of the TrustPid service… which was originally designed alone by this operator to increase its advertising revenue.

… how does it work…

How Utiq works is relatively simple: when users browse the Internet using the mobile network, each website they visit (and which supports this advertising system) presents them with a consent banner detailing Utiq’s terms of service. This process is limited to the mobile network at the momentalthough it is expected that in the future it will expand to the fixed network.

If users accept the banner, Utiq assigns them a ‘token’ or identifier, pseudonymized and encrypted.

This token will be used later to display ads and personalized content based on the user’s interests. for a period of 90 days. Once this time expires, the banner will reappear to renew the question.

…and how can you disable it?

However, thanks to data protection regulations, if at any time users change their mind and want to revoke their consentthey can do it through the “Consent Hub” portal… where they also have the option of completely deactivate the platform for one year.

To disable Utiq, you need to follow these steps:

• Use the smartphone to perform this process.
• Make sure that you are a client of one of the operators behind Utiq (otherwise, they will not be able to identify your connection).
• Make sure you are connected to the mobile network (for example, turning off WiFi access if you are at home).
• Access the ‘Consent Hub’ portal.

• On the platform, the user can disable Utiq, withdraw the permission granted to specific pages or advertisers, or even prevent it from being activated for a year (It is important to note that once the latter option is activated, there is no way to unlock Utiq until the specified period has elapsed.)

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