Google is about to make a new move, similar to Firefox and Safari, and block third-party cookies on Chrome. While the other two web giants have already taken these measures, Google will take a slightly different and gradual approach which will be finalised by 2022. The announcement was made on the 14th of January.
What are third-party cookies?
Third party cookies consist of a few lines of code used by digital marketing specialists to track user activity and target certain audiences based on user-tracking analysis.
Why Google wants to block third-party cookies on Chrome
One of Google’s main objectives is to provide a secure online environment and protect user privacy. This initiative comes as a response to an increase in third-cookie blocking by users.
Still, why are these cookies considered invasive by users so much that they would block them?
For example, if you browse some pieces of furniture in an online store and then you start seeing ads on websites that have nothing to do with your previous browsing, that happens thanks to third-party cookies.
And while many of us are not very fond of the high number of ads, these are extremely effective. But because through these third-party cookies user preferences are not taken into consideration 100%, Safari and Firefox are no longer supporting this type of tracking.
How will Google block third-party cookies?
As an alternative to this challenge, Google plans to introduce a new initiative called ‘Privacy Sandbox.’ Through this initiative, Google intends to provide an ideal online environment both for users and advertisers.
This means Google wants to sustain a web that supports ads while blocking third-party cookies at the same time. Thanks to ‘Privacy Sandbox,’ advertisers will be able to target their audiences in a more general way without invading user privacy.
Good news at the end
The reality is that these third-party cookies were never supposed to process so much information on the web. Third-party cookies can be used in many ways, so the real challenge is to find a less invasive alternative through which they can be replaced.
However, concerning Retargeting.biz, our clients have nothing to worry about, because our software uses first-party cookies. This means that the performance of all online marketing campaigns won’t be affected even if Google implements the ‘Sandbox Privacy.’
Still, this is a major change and an area of interest for every online merchant, even if our clients won’t face any obstacle.