What it does
`IDE` identifies a browser to Google’s advertising systems for measurement, frequency capping and targeting. `DSID` serves a similar role for signed-in users, and `test_cookie` is a short-lived check on whether the browser accepts cookies at all.
It appears on sites that do not sell advertising, because remarketing tags and conversion tags reach the same infrastructure.
What to write in a cookie declaration
Name Google as provider and DoubleClick as the service. Describe the purpose as advertising measurement and targeting.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | IDE |
| Provider | Google (DoubleClick) |
| Purpose category | advertising |
| Consent category | Marketing |
| Expiry | Up to 13 months in the EEA (vendor default) |
| Storage | Third-party |
Treat the expiry as indicative
The value above is the vendor’s documented default. Vendors change configuration and several browsers cap script-written lifetimes. Record what repeated scans observe on your own site, with the browser, region, path and interaction state; one run is not authoritative for every visitor.
Can a visitor refuse it?
Yes, in marketing. It is set by an advertising script, so not loading the script is the control.
A verification scan supplies runtime evidence for the pages and states it exercises. Test a fresh profile with no choice made, then after refusal, and reconcile observed storage with response headers, server-side integrations and paths the scan did not visit.
Common questions
Why do I have a doubleclick.net cookie when I do not run ads?
Because remarketing and conversion tags use the same infrastructure. If you run Google Ads at all, or have a GA4 property linked to an Ads account, this is the likely route.
Sources and verification
Verified on . Product-behaviour statements were checked against the current implementation and tests. The links below are the verification basis recorded for this article. They support the stated facts, not a legal conclusion for every site or configuration; recheck changing vendor behaviour before relying on it in production.
- Google: how Google uses cookies
Vendor documentation
Checked
See what your own site is loading
A browser scan reports the requests and storage it observed during the sampled journey. Use configured workspace scans to compare the states and pages that matter to your implementation.