His research is based primarily on economic sociology and science and technology studies and focuses on digital markets, from the standpoint of market intermediaries, businesses, and consumers. Kevin Mellet is a sociologist at the Social Sciences Department of Orange Labs (Sense) and an associate researcher to the LISIS (University Paris-Est Marnes la VallГ©e). He is also involved in methodological investigations on the use of quantitative behavioral material for social science. Today, his activities involve both internet research and market studies his current research topics cover online participatory market devices, advertising and e-reputation, and uses of online media. His early works and PhD focused on web usage mining and browsing behavior characterization. Thomas Beauvisage is a sociologist and web scientist at the Social Sciences Department of Orange Labs (Sense).

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors. We thus contribute to the framing of the concept of (digital) market infrastructure. We also highlight the centrality of вЂњdataficationвЂќ (tracking, вЂњdata lakeвЂќ building, matching, etc.) in the process of market digitalization. Beyond the particular case of cookies, we identify three main operations that market infrastructures typically support: knowledge production, capitalization, and coordination. We also raise the question of the strength and durability of this infrastructure, at a time when it is disputed and seems weakened. We examine the complex trading operations that are implemented from the elementary brick that constitutes the cookie.

The aim of this article is to examine the market arrangements built by the online marketing industry around small pieces of data now ubiquitous in digital marketsвЂ“namely вЂњhttp cookies.вЂќ We show how cookies have become the backbone and the main vehicle of a vast market infrastructure, based on its ability to transform online behavioral information into data assets, and to attach these assets to advertising products.

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