Google Will Keep Third-Party Cookies in Chrome

No Chrome-tracking cookies will be harmed.

Google has decided to retain third-party cookies in Chrome, ending years of efforts to replace them with a more privacy-focused alternative.

The US tech giant said in a blog posted on July 22 that instead of phasing out cookies, it is pushing forward an updated strategy that gives users more control:

“We would introduce a new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing, and they’d be able to adjust that choice at any time.”

Google said it is currently in talks with regulators about this new approach and will coordinate with the industry throughout the implementation.

The decision happened almost four years after Google announced it was ending support for cookies as part of its Privacy Sandbox initiative launched in 2019.

Advertisers Let Out a Sigh of Relief

Advertisers and marketers preparing for a cookieless Chrome web browser welcomed this development, with Brett Bodofsky, Director of Paid Search at Zimmerman Advertising and the President of the Paid Search Association, saying:

“Google Ads deprecated similar audiences due to third-party cookie limitations. Now that the plan is scrapped I wouldn’t hate seeing those come back. I understand there has been launches to help account for their deprecation. But honestly, I liked similar audiences.”

Moreover, Sophie Fell, Director of Paid Media at Two Trees PPC, said advertisers now have one less hurdle to overcome:

“I think the question now is, ‘What’s next?’ It’ll be interesting to see what the uptake on the privacy ‘toggle’ is as a percentage of Android and Chrome users, and then how that impacts audience targeting. For example, will fewer 55+ year olds tweak their privacy settings, and therefore will marketing to this age group using cookies be much easier than marketing to <35s who may be more likely to utilize it? Lots of very interesting data to come over the coming months and no doubt a few more hurdles for advertisers along the way.”

Regulators Are Displeased

Meanwhile, Stephen Bonner, Deputy Commission at the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which worked with the Competition and Markets Authority to help Google arrive at a user privacy-focused alternative, expressed his disappointment over Google’s decision:

“Our ambition to support the creation of a more privacy friendly internet continues. Despite Google’s decision, we continue to encourage the digital advertising industry to move to more private alternatives to third party cookies – and not to resort to more opaque forms of tracking”

He added that the ICO will observe the industry’s response and take regulatory action if any company, including Google, is detected in system non-compliance.

As of August 5, 2024, Google has yet to share more details about its new proposed plan and when it will be unveiled.

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