Rethinking Identity, Rebuilding Infrastructure, and Regaining Control

In this episode, we explore what’s broken in identity, how sell-side signals can shift power back to publishers, and what is often missing from today’s alternative ID solutions. Keith breaks down how to think about first-party data, rising fragmentation, and why many “fixes” still leave publishers at a disadvantage.

We also look at the opportunities hidden in authentication, how mid-sized publishers can stay competitive, and why building a stronger, more connected stack matters more than finding a one-size-fits-all answer.

Keith Petri is the Founder and CEO of Lockr (now Lockr by Viant), a privacy-first data collaboration platform helping publishers regain control of their audience relationships. Before founding Lockr, Keith spent over 15 years in the data management space, including building the first mobile DMP in 2012.

An experienced executive with two successful eight-figure exits, Keith is known for his focus on long-term value creation and his drive to build infrastructure that serves the interests of publishers, not just intermediaries. Through Lockr, he is helping reshape how first-party data is handled in a way that is ethical, transparent, and built for sustainable publisher control.

Vijay Kumar is the Founder and CEO of Mile, where he has spent over a decade helping publishers navigate modern Ad Tech. His work spans pricing strategy, yield optimization, and infrastructure decisions, always focused on giving publishers more clarity and control.

As host of Web Without Walls, Vijay brings real-world experience and thoughtful curiosity to every conversation. He asks the questions publishers care about, challenges assumptions when needed, and creates space for honest, practical industry dialogue.

• “Designed to put privacy and publisher control front and center, it's a data collaboration platform built to unlock real addressability without relying on third party cookies or band-aid fixes.”
• “Am I going to be expected to sign into every website and app that I go to on the internet? Is that what's going to happen? I mean, I don't sign into most of the publishers' websites or sites that I review on, or even the sites that I browse most of my time on.”