Google Ads has introduced a new tool: ‘Confidential Matching’ that protects first-party data. In a tweet, Google’s Ads Liaison announced, “Today we’re announcing confidential matching, a new privacy-centric way that advertisers’ first-party data will be connected to and processed in Google Ads.”

What is confidential matching?

Confidential matching is "a new way to securely connect your first-party data for our measurement and audience solutions," Kamal Janardhan, Senior Director of Product Management, said.

Confidential matching encrypts customer data uploaded to Google Ads. The feature aims to enable advertisers to leverage their customer data securely, ensuring that sensitive information remains private and protected. 

Google claimed that with this feature, customers' first-party data will remain encrypted throughout its journey—from upload to matching. 

What technology is the confidential matching built on?

According to Google, confidential matching is “built with confidential computing which uses special software and hardware known as Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs).”

Google claimed Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) ensure data remains inaccessible to Google or any unauthorized parties. It guarantees that the data is only decrypted when necessary for matching purposes and ensures that the data stays hidden and protected. 

Why confidential matching matters to advertisers 

Google said by using confidential matching, advertisers can keep their customers' information “secure by default.” With this tool, customer data is automatically protected and kept private. 

Google will allow advertisers to see exactly how confidential matching works. Advertisers will have access to the codes for the tool. 

They will also have the option to self-encrypt their data before uploading it. Google said that it will provide "attestation" to advertisers when they use this feature. This aims to confirm that data is processed correctly and securely.