After years of uncertainty, Google says it won't be 'deprecating third-party cookies' in Chrome

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses Google's decision to keep third-party cookies in its Chrome browser, despite previous plans to phase them out. It covers the following key points:

🙋 Q&A

[01] Google's Updated Approach

1. What is Google's updated approach regarding third-party cookies in Chrome?

• Google has decided not to deprecate third-party cookies in Chrome as previously planned.
• Instead, Google is introducing a "new experience in Chrome" that allows users to make informed choices about their web browsing and adjust their settings at any time.
• Google is discussing this pivot with regulators and plans to do the same with the industry soon, but details remain limited.

2. What is the plan for the Privacy Sandbox?

• Google will continue to make the Privacy Sandbox APIs available and invest in them to further improve privacy and utility.
• Additional privacy controls, like IP masking in Chrome's Incognito mode, will be added to the Sandbox.
• The goal is to find innovative solutions that improve online privacy while preserving an ad-supported internet.

[02] Implications for the Ad Industry

1. How does this decision impact the ad industry's efforts to find alternatives to third-party cookies?

• For those who have worked on third-party cookie alternatives, their efforts are not going to waste, as Google will keep the APIs in the Sandbox.
• However, there are still technical challenges and concerns, such as latency issues and average ad revenue losses, that publishers have voiced about the Privacy Sandbox.

2. How does this decision compare to Apple's approach with mobile identifiers?

• This decision is similar to what Apple did with mobile identifiers, where it launched a privacy safeguard that lets people choose whether to share their data with apps and sites.
• If Google's plan gets Chrome users to opt out of third-party cookies, the Sandbox APIs might actually work for targeting them without cookies.

3. How are publishers and the ad industry reacting to this decision?

• Publishers have struggled to make sense of Google's strategy and have been wary of investing resources in testing the Privacy Sandbox, especially with the small experimentation pool of 1% of Chrome users.
• Some media executives have stopped allocating further resources to testing the Sandbox, and the publisher adoption rate of the Privacy Sandbox is reported to be below 55%.