In the latest announcements, Google stated that they will disable third-party cookies for 1% of users from January 4th. This might sound like a very little percentage, however, Chrome is used by over 3.22 billion users and if you do the math, these new changes effect 32.200.000 users.

Right now Google is testing their new Tracking Protection feature that will restrict website access to third-party cookies by default. According to statements online, Google plans to phase out the use of third-party cookies for all users in the second half of 2024.

If you’re selected to try the Tracking Protection, you will get a notification when you open Chrome and due it’s just in the beginning phase you can temporarily re-enable third-party cookies in case there are any issues detected while browsing.

After reading all of this you might ask yourself “But why would they even do that?”. Well, we might take a quick step back and take a look at what third-party cookies are and what they do.

Third-party cookies

…are bits of data that are stored by external sources on your device and they’re often used for advertising and analytics purposes. So, imagine you’re on a news website, and it displays ads from different advertisers. If these ads use cookies to track your online behavior, those cookies are considered third-party cookies because they come from a source other than the main website you’re visiting. The problem with those cookies is not only the (sensitive) data that gets collected, but also the fact that all of the data can be used to create detailed profiles about users.

Back to Google

They want to eliminate tracking capabilities and introduce Chrome users to new standards that support fraud prevention and delivering relevant ads, claiming that this will improve user privacy and security. They also provide tools to website owners so that they can sustain their business without third-party cookies.

Google is working on the Privacy Sandbox, a new way to deliver personalized ads without tracking users, which will replace third-party cookies in Chrome. It’s still being tested and needs more time. Many experts think the future of online ads will focus on context and keywords, not personal data. Advertisers might offer discounts or promos to encourage users to share their data.

This change in online ads means advertisers need to change their strategies. Instead of relying on personal data, they’ll need to focus on content and context. This involves making ads that match the topics and keywords of the website where they are displayed. Advertisers might also need to find new ways to get users to share their data willingly. This could include offering discounts or special sales. But, they need to be careful not to invade privacy.

It will for sure bring major changes in the field of digital advertising that relies on third-party cookie tracking. Advertisers will need to adopt new methods for displaying relevant ads to users.

Conclusion

There is no need to panic right now. Other browsers, like Safari, have been blocking third-party cookies for years now and trackers simply implement workarounds, other methods and new technologies that makes user tracking possible.

In the end, these changes by Google show a bigger move towards more privacy and security online. As these changes continue, businesses will need to change and be creative to stay competitive in online ads.