Google will continue to allow third-party cookies on its site, extending an earlier agreement by two years. The deal means that advertisers will be able to use Google's "DoubleClick" cookies without there being a user opt-out.
This extension comes after much controversy surrounding the initial deadline to end all usage of third-party cookies.
Google was forced to push back its original deadline by one year to give advertisers more time to adjust their advertising strategies and prepare for changes that would be made as part of this new policy.
An announcement by Vice President Anthony Chavez
The announcement was made by Privacy Sandbox Vice President Anthony Chavez, who explained the move as an attempt to "protect" users from tracking.
Chavez noted that Google would expand its use of third-party cookies but did not specify how long it would continue doing so after 2024.
Extension to give more time for developers to evaluate and test new Privacy Sandbox tools
Google wants to give developers more time to test out the new tools. "To ensure that developers can use these new tools responsibly and comprehensively evaluate how they work in a real-world environment, we're extending our existing privacy policies for three years," said a Google spokesperson.
Google hopes this will allow them enough time to fully test the new tools to be ready for release when the extension expires.
Third-party cookies stay on.
Third-party cookies are small files created by a website other than the one you're currently on. These cookies may track your activity across websites, such as how many times you've visited a particular site or clicked on an ad.
They can also be used to provide personalized content to users and serve personalized advertisements.
For example, if someone visits a website about dogs and then another site about cats, both sites will access this information through their shared third-party cookie.
That way, the second site knows what kinds of animal users prefer so that it can show them related content (or ads).
Third-party cookies aren't necessarily bad. They can improve user privacy by allowing companies to collect data without knowing who it belongs; for example, if someone is looking at dog breeds online but doesn't want anyone else knowing that information yet.
Third-party cookies in advertising
Third-party cookies are used to track users across the internet. This can be done by tracking a user's actions on one website, then serving ads from another website based on their previous actions.
This creates an improved user experience because it is easier for advertisers to provide more relevant ads and information to users.
Third-party cookies are also used for advertising purposes. When you see an ad that looks like it was crafted just for you (because you visited another site).
This is because of third-party cookies- advertisers use them to gather information about your browsing behavior and tailor their advertisements accordingly.
Also, third-party cookies help improve privacy by offering more control over what information advertisers can collect about us online.
They do this by limiting the ability of certain types of companies to access our data without our consent first -- though many people find these restrictions limiting when they're trying to do things like sign up for services like Facebook Messenger, where some personal information needs extra attention paid towards its collection.
In 2020, Google announced that it would end its support
In 2020, Google announced it would end supporting tracking cookies within three years to improve user privacy.
The company said at the time that it would build new tools to replace third-party cookies, so publishers and advertisers continue their practice of using personalized advertisements.
However, Google announced in July that third-party cookie usage had been extended to 2024, a year after its original phaseout date of 2022.
The company said it is working on an update to Chrome that will allow users to choose when they want their data shared with third parties and when they don't.
Conclusion
This extension gives advertisers more time to transition from third-party cookies to other tools. In addition, it will allow developers and publishers more time to test these new tools before they are fully implemented.
Here, at Adzapier, we provide solutions that fit within and build upon the current landscape with the flexibility to adapt and reform to succeed in this shifting privacy landscape.
Our priority for our clients (publishers, advertisers, brands) is to maintain full transparency when it comes to privacy compliance.