Google Third-Party Cookies-What’s New?

We announced it in 2021, and we were not the only ones: Google plans to remove, normally by the end of 2024, third-party cookies on its Chrome browser. 

Third-party cookies are too intrusive

At the beginning of 2020, the world’s best-known browser announced the end of third-party cookies, which were considered too intrusive for users’ personal data. To compensate for this, Google has launched the development of its Privacy Sandbox project, which aims to protect users’ personal data, while allowing more respectful advertisement targeting. 

If the date initially announced was the end of 2022, then the end of 2023, Google has changed it a third time, now announcing the end of third-party cookies for mid-2024. 

As a reminder, the Privacy Sandbox project announced in 2019 aims to develop non-intrusive ad targeting methods. The first version of these targeting methods called FLoC had been abandoned by the American firm after it had generated many strong negative reactions. Google decided to abandon it at the beginning of 2022.

Third-party cookies VS Privacy Sandbox 

The Privacy Sandbox project is still being tested and is undergoing changes, especially in Google Topics, which seems to be the new method of advertisement targeting that respects the privacy of users. This new technique, and all new features Google wants to implement, are being developed and tested by many stakeholders and must live up to their promise of data protection, which extends the testing phases.  

As digital marketers, we’re looking forward to seeing what changes this will bring to the way we work with Google. For example, while it is likely to change, Google Topics could allow the user to choose which topics they are interested in and which they are not, thus preventing ad targeting for topics they are not interested in. 

These new tools, as well as the changes they will bring, are currently being tested by marketers and others.

Until we know more, here are the key dates to remember for the rollout of the Privacy Sandbox: 

• By Q3 2023: Privacy Sandbox APIs will be deployed and available on Google
• Mid-2024: third-party cookies will be gone

Want to better understand these changes, how digital marketing works in 2022 and what we can do to help you navigate these changes? Book an exploratory meeting!