Browser manufacturers and operating system providers often focus on moving away from third-party cookies in order to protect user privacy. In 2024, Google could also take a decisive step towards the post-cookie era.
Legislation?⚖️
The discussion about the criticised third-party cookies on the Internet has been going on for five years. Initially it was hoped that EU legislation would be introduced, but browser providers and those responsible for operating systems were quicker to act. Apple launched the anti-tracking initiative, followed by Firefox, Safari and Google Chrome. As part of its data protection sandbox initiative, Google emphasised that sensible alternatives for advertising customers should first be created before cookies were abolished. However, various solutions for advertising performance monitoring failed due to EU laws or required additional technical conditions, as was the case with the FLoC disaster. As a result, the end date for the abolition of third-party cookies was gradually postponed. The time will soon be ripe.
Deactivation very carefully ⚠️
Google is planning a cautious test phase with one per cent of users from the beginning of 2024 to identify web compatibility problems. The aim is to avoid possible disruptions to the user experience and not scare off advertisers. Google intends to introduce temporary solutions to mitigate potential disruptions. The exact criteria for the use of approved cookies remain unclear, but by the third quarter they are expected to disappear from more and more installations.
Don’t scare off advertising customers👩💻
Google is taking the changeover slowly in order to spare companies the loss of important information for advertising and marketing analyses. Nevertheless, companies are already flying blind, as around a third of users can no longer be tracked correctly for various reasons. Advertisers should therefore use Google’s Privacy Sandbox API to serve personalised advertising. This underlines the long-standing recommendation from experts to explore alternative solutions at an early stage and gradually switch to more modern tracking methods.
What do you think about the 3rd party farewell? Let us know in the comments! ✍️
