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We should have said goodbye to third-party cookies by now, but Google changed its mind. Again. The search engine is delaying its deprecation of third-party cookies and plans to kiss them goodbye in 2024, instead of early next year.
This is not the first time Chrome has prolonged the usage of these cute little assets – their plans changed last year when they decided to stop the usage of third-party cookies in 2023. This is the second extension.
Third-party cookies have been a go-to solution for years when it comes to measuring digital ad performance – and once Google stops supporting them, it will be way harder to see view-through conversions, especially if someone saw your ad and converted on your website later.
Why Is Google Extending Again?
Because they need more time to test the Privacy Sandbox initiative, Search Engine Journal reports. The Privacy Sandbbox initiative is supposed to be a low-key solution for targeted advertising.
“The most consistent feedback we’ve received is the need for more time to evaluate and test the new Privacy Sandbox technologies before deprecating third-party cookies in Chrome…
This deliberate approach to transitioning from third-party cookies ensures that the web can continue to thrive, without relying on cross-site tracking identifiers or covert techniques like fingerprinting.” – said Anthony Chavez, Vice President of Google’s Privacy Sandbox initiative.
So, instead of just replacing the cookies with something new and wild, Google is taking a more rational approach and plans for a more gradual transition. The trial version of the Privacy Sandbox API is available to developers and should be available for millions of people this month too. More testing for more people is planned for next year.
Other than using first-party cookies, you have some extra options for dealing with Google not supporting third-party cookies. This includes:
Identity Solutions – email address, phone number, login ID. This uses 1st-party cookies on your website
Google’s Privacy Sandbox – still developing
Publisher Provided Identifiers (PPIDs)
Contextual Targeting – doesn’t rely on personal data, but on the web page’s contents for keywords and phrases (time spent browsing)
Data Pools or Data Clean Rooms – storing a large amount of data
User Identity Graphs – combines personal identity information (email address) with 1st-party cookies and publisher IDs.
Digital Fingerprinting – identifying users by recording their IP, plugins, screen size, browser, time zone and OS.
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