Google abandons plans to remove third-party cookies from Chrome – now what?
Four years since it first announced plans to block third-party cookies from its Chrome browser, Google is set on a new approach – effectively scrapping its own plan. The industry is bemused to say the least.
No third-party cookies crumbled
On 22 July 2024, Anthony Chavez, VP of Privacy Sandbox – Google’s initiative to remove 3rd party cookies – made a statement announcing the new path forward.
“We are proposing an updated approach that elevates user choice. Instead of deprecating third-party cookies, 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. We're discussing this new path with regulators, and will engage with the industry as we roll this out.”
The decision came as a shock for many in the industry, but Google has been moving its own deadlines for years. It makes you wonder what was going on behind the scenes and how they arrived at their updated approach. We asked Steve King, Technology Director and co-owner of Proctor + Stevenson for his take:
“With Google being the largest advertising agency in the world, it must finally have concluded that it just doesn’t make sense to close down advertising opportunities. That would be akin to shooting itself in the foot.”
According to Chavez, it’s all to do with the potential of Privacy Sandbox Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to offer enhanced cookie management options to users whilst also appeasing advertisers.
“Early testing from ad tech companies, including Google, has indicated that the Privacy Sandbox APIs have the potential to achieve these outcomes. And we expect that overall performance using Privacy Sandbox APIs will improve over time as industry adoption increases. At the same time, we recognise this transition requires significant work by many participants and will have an impact on publishers, advertisers, and everyone involved in online advertising.”
The decision has been met with mixed reactions
While some have expressed support for Google’s decision, which aims to give the user more choice, Stephen Bonner, Deputy Commissioner at the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) expressed disappointment. The ICO has long supported the move to deprecate third-party cookies.
"We are disappointed that Google has changed its plans and no longer intends to deprecate third-party cookies from the Chrome Browser. From the start of Google’s Sandbox project in 2019, it has been our view that blocking third-party cookies would be a positive step for consumers.”
In a blog titled ‘Third-party cookies have got to go’ Hadley Beeman of the Worldwide Web Consortium suggested the decision was a surprise, even to those involved in finding the best solution.
“We’ve been working with Chrome’s Privacy Sandbox team (as well as others in the W3C community) for several years, trying to help them create better approaches for the things that third-party cookies do. While we haven’t always agreed with the Privacy Sandbox team, we have made substantial progress together. This announcement came out of the blue, and undermines a lot of the work we’ve done together to make the web work without third-party cookies.”
Jeff Green, head of The Trade Desk welcomed the U-turn, having long opposed the deprecation of third-party cookies.
“I have been saying for years now to our industry, to Google, and even to Wall Street that I think it is a strategic mistake for Google to get rid of third-party cookies."
And Katie Eyton, Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer at Omnicom Media Group UK, suggested how Google presents users with choices around third-party cookies could become a key focus for regulators.
"In line with the GDPR requirement for informed, unambiguous consent, choices will need to be presented in a neutral way. People will need to understand what they're being asked to consent to and the potential consequences of their decision."
What’s next for cookies in Chrome?
Google’s plans to introduce ‘a new experience in Chrome’ that allows users to make an informed choice about their web-browsing privacy come with the option to adjust that choice at any time. This could suggest a move towards a built-in version of the Cookie Management Platform (CMP) feature like OneTrust or CookieBot.
You can already switch off third party cookies (if you can be bothered to follow these instructions).
Most people likely won’t, so implementing a pop-up when you visit a site seems to be the preferred approach. This means the experience of asking if you wish to accept, reject or choose which cookies to load is here to stay.
“If implementing tags via Google Tag Manager (GTM) you may not be covered at all. This can have huge implications as the users of websites are increasingly aware of their rights and can bring a legal case against a website owner.”
A lot of website owners will feel they are already covered, as they are currently using CMPs. But if implementing tags via GTM, they may not be covered at all. This can have huge implications as website users are increasingly aware of their rights and can bring a legal case against a website owner.
Our recommendation
We recommend you check if your CMP is actually rejecting cookies if your users are asking it to. This is because there needs to be work done in GTM to ensure any tags are actually compatible with the CMP.
The good news? You can easily test your site by following these steps in your Chrome browser.
- Visit your website and right click anywhere on the page and select ‘Inspect.’
- Then click ‘Network’ followed by ‘Issues.’ And make sure you tick the “Include third-party cookie issues” box.
- If you see entries such as above, you do need to add consent control to these cookies.
If you need help setting these controls for your cookies, our dedicated technology team is here to help.
Simply get in touch via marketing@proctors.co.uk
Related articles
