Today, Google announced that the deprecation of third-party cookies will be delayed until late 2023. Previously, Google planned to phase out third-party cookies running on Chrome in early 2022.
Google plans to have third-party cookies completely phased out on Chrome over a three-month period starting in mid-2023 and ending in late 2023. The key technologies needed for cookie deprecation will be deployed by late 2022 for developer use.
Google will make a more detailed, regularly updated schedule for developers and publishers alike available at privacysandbox.com.
Third-party cookies provide data about a shopper’s interests, past purchases, frequently visited websites, and more. Any brand that uses data for online advertising and targeting will be impacted by Google’s decision to phase out third-party cookies on Chrome.
With global initiatives to protect user privacy online intensifying, delaying the shift away from cookies will help ensure the right decisions are made to keep consumer data secure and avoid covert practices.
According to a blog post published by Google on June 24, “more time is needed across the ecosystem to get this right.”
The delay will also provide some relief to advertisers and publishers. In October 2020, programmatic buyers rated their organizations’ readiness for cookie deprecation at only 3.5 on a scale of 1-5.
Marketing strategies have relied on cookies as a proxy for identity since the dawn of digital. With Chrome having nearly 70% of the market share for browsers, this shift will have a huge impact on how brands track, target, and engage with customers. Safari (with 8.89% of the market share) and Firefox (with 7.69%) have already phased out third-party cookies.
