Mentioned for the first time in 2020, announced for 2024, then postponed to 2025, the removal of third-party cookies by Google has been the subject of many announcements and speculations in recent years.
However, Google has backtrack, stating that third-party cookies will ultimately not be removed, while introducing a “new experience in Chrome”. Let’s take stock of this reversal and its implications.
Google's intention to remove third-party cookies
Online privacy protection has become a priority for users, regulators and businesses. The cookies third parties, which allow tracking users across different websites for advertising purposes, have been at the heart of this debate. Faced with growing pressure to protect users' personal data, Google had announced in 2020 its intention to remove to gradually remove third-party cookies from its Chrome browser.
This announcement had sparked many questions and discussions in the advertising industry, because third-party cookies play a crucial role in targeting and measuring advertising campaigns. They were already looking for alternatives. solutions to adapt to this removalTo address these concerns, Google had proposed the Privacy Sandbox as an alternative, a set of tools and APIs aimed at protecting users' privacy while enabling effective advertising practices.
Why is Google reversing its decision?
On July 22, 2024, Anthony Chavez, Vice President at Google, announced that third-party cookies will ultimately not removed and that a "new experience in Chrome" will be introduced.
Removing third-party cookies and replacing them with an alternative technology via the Privacy Sandbox has proven relatively complex. Tests removing third-party cookies were conducted on limited samples, and the results were not conclusive according to advertising stakeholders, although Anthony Chavez remains convinced of the potential of this tool in the long term.
The removal of third-party cookies could lead to significant disruption in the advertising market, which is not in the interest of Google or its partners. From the start, players in the advertising industry have expressed concerns about the potential impact of removing third-party cookies on their activities. Without a viable and widely adopted alternative, companies risk seeing their ability to target consumers effectively decline, which could affect their advertising revenues.
What should we expect now?
Google announced the introduction of a "new experience in Chrome', but specific details remain to be clarified. This initiative could include new cookie management features, allowing users to better control their data while offering advertisers improved tools for targeting and measuring ad performance. Despite retaining third-party cookies, Google continues to develop the Privacy Sandbox.
Advertisers, although relieved by this change in Google's position, remain concerned about what will happen next. Google having remained wave about this "new experience", we'll have to wait longer to learn more.
What is certain is that the data protection authorities still have many expectations of Google on this subject. After welcoming Google's initial decision as an important step toward better protection of personal data on the internet, they criticized this reversal of course, considering it a step backward in terms of respect for users' privacy.
Regulators' skepticism underscores the need for Google to prove that its new initiatives will address growing concerns regarding privacy protection.
