Google has abandoned plans to scrap third-party cookies in Chrome. The announcement comes after years of meticulous planning and deliberation, with Google creating, delaying and abandoning more than one strategy to adapt to evolving privacy standards.
This decision is a major turning point in the advertising landscape.
The news announced by Google is certainly a surprise. While it is being titled with a headline that the “deprecation efforts are over,” the more accurate framing is that Google is making web site visits require browser specific consent for third-party cookies as a setting.
This is very similar to what Apple introduced on iOS starting in iOS14.5 regarding access to the IDFA identifier.
Looking closely, it is clear that third-party cookies are here to stay but Google is likely to provide a prompt for configurable consent.
It appears Google is making web site visits require browser specific consent for 3rd party cookies as a setting. This means that the web is following patterns on mobile.
The question remains as to why Google has taken this decision. For now, we can only speculate, but it could be that Google believes the industry isn’t ready yet.
There is also the chance that Google has had its hand forced by regulators because of anti-trust optics.
There is also a chance that it could be a move by Google in advance of carving out chrome from their other properties or the Google advertising technology components, should they plan to.
While we may not know, for now, why this decision was made, one thing we do know is that an announcement this late in the process is both shocking and puzzling for publishers and advertisers alike.
One of the main takeaways for advertisers is that what had been anticipated as a monumental shift in how to measure campaign performance has ultimately been pushed to the side.
That said, Google’s Sandbox initiative isn’t going anywhere yet and will continue to be developed, meaning efforts to adapt in this area aren’t entirely wasted.
Ultimately, these changes are part of a continued effort to balance the preservation of privacy with ad monetisation across the open web. It remains to be seen what will come next, but with Google such a major player in the market, it will no doubt have a significant impact for consumers and advertisers alike.
