In a recent announcement, Google revealed the updated plans regarding the termination of support for third-party cookies in the Chrome browser. Originally, the plan was to end support for third-party cookies by 2022, but the deadline was later extended to mid-2023. Subsequently, it was delayed once again to the second quarter of 2024. However, due to the need for further approvals and concerns about the ecosystem, the decision has been made not to disable support for third-party cookies in 2024. The new date for the shutdown has not been disclosed yet.
Third-party cookies are commonly used to track user activity across different websites by advertising networks, web-analytics tools, and other systems. These changes are part of Google’s Privacy Sandbox initiative, which aims to strike a balance between user privacy and the tracking needs of advertising networks and websites. The initiative has faced challenges and criticism in the past, as the proposed alternatives to tracking cookies have raised concerns about user discrimination and hidden tracking.
Instead of relying on tracking cookies, Google is suggesting the use of alternative APIs such as:
- Federal Credential Management (FedCM): This API enables the creation of unified identification services that prioritize user privacy and function without relying on third-party cookies.
- Private State Tokens: This API allows for the segregation of different users without the need for cross-site identifiers, enabling the secure transmission of user authentication information across various contexts.
- Topics (replaced by API FLOC): This API categorizes user interests based on their browsing activity, allowing advertising networks to target user groups with similar interests without identifying individual users using tracking cookies. The user interests are calculated on the user’s device, providing general interests without revealing specific browsing patterns.
- Protected Audience: This API tackles issues related to retargeting and assessment of the site’s own audience, particularly focusing on users who have previously visited the site.