[thaddeusmt]

So, this isn't so much about the "end" of using cookies to track users as it is about the "rise" of enhanced methods enabled by the fact we are constantly logged in to services like Facebook, Google, Microsoft, etc.

The thing is, even Google services (Search, Analytics, etc) and Facebook (the Like Button, etc) use cookies to track users. It's still fundamentally the same thing. The difference is that by logging in to the same service (Google, Facebook, etc) on difference devices and browsers, they can "link" the cookie data together for a more complete picture of your online activity.

Adding to this cross-cookie data, these services can include data from their actual services (Google Search, the Facebook Social Graph, etc), and are starting to include data about the Apps you use (in their respective ecosystems). It's a nice bundle of data they can sell to advertisers (indirectly, via ad targeting).

The scarier question is: will the tracking be enabled at the client/device level? Will your Google or Microsoft web browser (or OS) directly collect and track information about your browsing? Or will it still be limited to "web tracking" (with enhanced ability to connect cookie data across multiple devices)?