The privacy landscape in the digital advertising space is constantly shifting beneath our feet, but that doesn’t mean your hyper-location-based marketing has to hit a dead end. Recently, a few state governments have been rewriting the rules on how advertisers can use location data. Specifically, new legislation in Maryland, Oregon, and Virginia heavily restricts the use of precise geolocation data, including standard GPS coordinates.
At Qujam, we always prioritize compliance alongside performance. To adapt to these laws, we previously paused geofencing campaigns in Maryland and Oregon. But we have some great news: we are officially opening up Maryland and Oregon for geofencing campaigns, with Virginia joining the roster in July 2026 when their new privacy laws take effect.
Through our technology partnership, we’ve adopted a smart, fully compliant solution called Approximate GPS Targeting for these three affected states. Here is everything you need to know about how this impacts your campaigns and how you can win in these states.
The Breakdown: Precise vs. Approximate Geolocation
To protect consumer privacy, these new state laws draw a strict line in the sand regarding data granularity.
- Precise Geolocation: This refers to highly granular data, like standard real-time GPS coordinates, that can pinpoint an individual’s location to within a 1,750-foot radius or less. In a traditional geofencing campaign, this allowed for precision down to roughly 16 feet.
- Approximate Geolocation: By contrast, this method estimates a user’s location within a broader geographic area. It allows advertisers to reach audiences in tightly defined local zones, still much smaller than a standard ZIP code, without relying on or collecting exact device coordinates. These zones are 0.5 x 0.5 mile boxes based on two decimal latitude and longitude coordinates. Example: 32.79, -97.35 instead of 32.7877741, -97.3497853.
How the Tech Works Under the Hood
To comply with local laws, GPS coordinates can only be used in Maryland, Oregon, or Virginia if they are truncated to two decimal places or fewer.
Example of Data Truncation: * Precise GPS Coordinate: 32.7877741, -97.3497853 * Compliant Approximate Coordinate: 32.79, -97.35
At this compliant precision level, individual GPS coordinates sit roughly 0.5 miles apart. Instead of tracking an exact pinpoint, the system visualizes the location as a predetermined grid of “compensation boxes.”
| Feature | Standard Geofencing | Compliant Geofencing (MD, OR, VA) |
| Data Accuracy | Pinpoint (~16 feet) | Grid-Based (0.5 miles over a geofence location) |
Coordinates Used | Full latitude/longitude pairs | Truncated to ≤ 2 decimal places |
| Smallest Target Size | Individual building outline | 0.5 miles×0.5 miles box |
| Largest Target Size | User-defined | Up to 2 miles×2 miles box if a geofence sits on the intersection of four grid boxes |
How Qujam Handles the Targeting Logic
You might wonder how a device actually triggers an ad if the coordinates are blocky grids. We utilize two clear methodologies depending on the product you choose:
1. Target Geofences
When you draw a geofence, the system builds a box around the truncated GPS coordinate to compensate for the uncertainty of the device’s true location. If your custom-drawn geofence intersects with this approximate grid box, a device inside that box matches the target.
- Dynamic Expansion: If your drawn geofence is small and fits in one grid box, your targeting area is a 0.5×0.5 mile square. If your fence touches the borders of adjacent boxes, the system automatically expands to include those boxes, to any 0.5×0.5 mile box that overlaps with the drawn geofence.
2. Event Targeting, Addressable Geofencing, & Conversion Zones
For these expanded products, the platform uses a slightly altered methodology. Instead of evaluating the entire grid box, the backend selects a single random point within that approximate location box. If that random point overlaps with your drawn fence, the device qualifies.
What Changes for You in the Qujam UI? (Spoiler: Nothing!)
We built Qujam to be the easiest DIY geofencing platform on the market, so we refuse to make your workflow harder.
- No Workflow Adjustments: You will continue drawing your geofences exactly as you always have. You don’t need to manually type in truncated coordinates or calculate grid lines.
- Backend Automation: The backend technology automatically handles the data truncation and grid mapping on the backend. Your existing campaigns that touch MD, OR, or VA will automatically shift to using compliant approximate signals without you lifting a finger.
- UI Alerts: To keep you completely informed, the Qujam platform will display an in-app alert whenever you include a geofence in Maryland, Oregon, or Virginia, reminding you that Approximate GPS targeting is active.
Qujam’s Decision Making Process.
We understand that Approximate GPS Targeting (Grid based targeting) is less accurate than our normal Proximity geofence targeting. The last thing we want to do is confuse nor misrepresent what Qujam users are being provided through the platform.
At Qujam, we were faced with two options; 1. Not allow campaign set ups in Maryland, Oregon, nor Virginia or 2. Allowing campaigns in these states, but adapting the campaigns to comply with the new laws and trying to communicate to our users this information. We picked the latter because:
- Best Option Available: When it comes to hyper-location-based digital targeting in Maryland, Oregon, and Virginia, the solution we are offering is the best option available in these locations now. We want to provide the best options to our customers..Â
- Dedication to Transparency: Qujam is committed to transparency and information sharing, so we are making multiple efforts to inform our users about this change through this article, updating our website information, eblasts, social media posts, and a system update to add a warning alert.
- It’s For The People to Decide: Some advertisers will not like how these campaigns will need to collect their target audience, and some will be okay with it. At the end of the day, it’s not up to Qujam to decide how our tool is used by our advertisers. We are a company dedicated to empowering advertisers with resources they haven’t had access to before, so the move to Approximate GPS Targeting to ensure legal compliance in Maryland, Oregon, and Virginia is aligned with this mentality while still complying with all laws and regulations.
Strategic Tips for Advertisers in Restricted States
Because geofencing in these three states now captures users in an immediate area rather than an exact spot, you should adjust your campaign strategies accordingly:
- Embrace the “Neighborhood” Mindset: Think of your geofences as hyper-local neighborhood plays. It is still an incredibly powerful tool for capturing high-intent local traffic, but it’s no longer suited for pinpointing a singular competitor’s front door.
- Broaden Your Creatives: Since your ads might serve to someone located slightly outside your exact target building (but within the grid radius), ensure your ad copy speaks to the broader local community or neighborhood.
- Layer Your Targeting: Consider blending your approximate geofencing with non-GPS location tools. Lean on ZIP code level digital targeting, contextual relevance, or first-party consent-based data to refine who sees your ads.
Privacy laws will continue to evolve, but Qujam’s tech stack evolves quickly when we have to. If you have additional questions about this or anything else, we invite you to reach out via our contact information or to schedule a demo.
