Summary

  • Google won’t meet its deadline to eliminate third-party Chrome cookies and is now aiming for a 2025 rollout.
  • Privacy Sandbox is poised to replace cookies, giving anonymized data access to advertisers, and allowing Chrome users to declare ad preferences.
  • Whether Privacy Sandbox or cookies, Google aims to deliver targeted ads while users prioritize Chrome privacy settings.



As more people become invested in protecting their online privacy, third-party cookies have turned into a hot topic. Through the collection of third-party cookies, browsers can transfer user data to advertising companies. This manifests as “tailored” or “personalized” experiences for the end user, but it also means their personal information has been handed off to a third party (hence, the name of the cookie type). Google, in particular, has made several promises to deprecate its use of third-party cookies in Chrome. Now, it looks like it won’t be fulfilling its most recent promise any time soon.


A cookie with a bite taken out and crumbs against a white background.

Related

Google inches closer to replacing third party cookies with a fresh set of APIs

The Privacy Sandbox’s relevance and measurement APIs are going stable in Chrome 115

In an update posted on its Privacy Sandbox page, Google has announced that it won’t meet its self-imposed deadline to eliminate the use of third-party Chrome cookies. Originally, the company said that it intended to stop harnessing data via these cookies by the end of 2024. In its Q1 2024 report, it now says that this deadline will not be met, but it hopes to start working toward it in 2025.


Google faces pressure from regulators

Google pointed to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in its announcement. The CMA, specifically, is responsible for ensuring that businesses are competing fairly while protecting consumers from unethical practices. As Google has started to address its use of third-party cookies, the CMA is one of many organizations that has closely monitored the process (via Digiday).

google-cookies-broken


The company has been fine-tuning its Privacy Sandbox, designed to replace third-party cookies while giving advertisers access to anonymized data. The goal is to eventually phase out the cookies and make the Privacy Sandbox the new standard, where Chrome users will be able to declare their ad preferences. That being said, user data will still be shared with advertisers, but it will be anonymized. In the end, they will be able to leverage Google-developed APIs to deliver Chrome users targeted advertisements, replacing the old method of using cookies. Whether Google is deploying the Privacy Sandbox or third-party cookies, the bottom line is to double-down on your Chrome privacy settings, stat.