[6] He received his AB from Princeton University in 2009 through the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

During his undergraduate studies he was a member of the team competing in the 2007 DARPA Grand Challenge[7] and Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition.

[citation needed] Mayer's research when at Princeton studied the feasibility of tracking web browsers with partial identifiers like display resolution and extensions.

[11] The Electronic Frontier Foundation's subsequent study reached the same conclusions using a bigger data set.

[17] Mayer was an active and influential participant in this group and has been described as "key spokesperson"[18] who had a "more interesting and productive career as a student than most tenured faculty".

Randall Rothenberg, CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau, called him a "Bolshevik of the Internet world" and "anathema to anybody who's trying to earn any kind of living using the digital supply chain.

[41] In December 2012, Mayer proposed that Mozilla Firefox use the same cookie blocking mechanism as Apple Safari.

[47] Mayer has said that he is disappointed in Mozilla's decision but remains involved on the advisory board for Cookie Clearinghouse.

[48] After Edward Snowden leaked documents in 2013, Mayer has researched National Security Agency laws.