• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, July 22, 2024

Some ad executives were relieved to learn Monday that Google’s approach to third-party cookie deprecation would not be an all-or-nothing strategy that still prioritizes consumer privacy. Others were downright angry.

When it came down to the demise of online cookies, cooler heads prevailed, Eli Goodman, CEO of Datos, a Semrush company, told Media Daily News in an email. 

Google revealed plans Monday to scrap its years-long efforts to completely eliminate third-party cookies on Chrome, and give consumers a choice. 

The search company plans to keep third-party cookies for those who don’t want to disable them, but will roll out a new solution that allows them to decide how and when to protect their privacy in Chrome. They can adjust that choice at any time.

Goodman called the reversal of fortune for the advertising industry a significant step in collaboratively building an internet that supports ethical data monetization, ensuring that consumers can continue to enjoy free services. 

“The biggest winners here are advertisers, who will have a stable path forward with the knowledge that they can continue to build on solutions that use cookies, he said. “During the next few months, I expect to see an influx of new advertising solutions that utilize AI to analyze cookie-based data to better target customers.” 

Not all in the industry view Google's path to this decision as completely positive. A lot of work has been dedicated to the attempt to make a cookieless targeting strategy work.

“Google’s announcement underscores Google’s ongoing commitment to profits over user privacy, Lena Cohen, technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, wrote in an email. “Safari and Firefox have blocked third-party cookies by default since 2020, when Google pledged to do the same.”

Cohen believes third-party cookies are one of the most pervasive tracking technologies, enabling advertising companies and data brokers to collect and sell information about users’ online activities. It can lead to bad actors buying sensitive information and predatory ad targeting.

She called the half-turnaround a “direct consequence of their advertising-driven business model,” because other browsers have blocked cookies for years.

Third-party cookies to track individual users’ activity across the web have long been used to gather information and serve targeted ads. They have been blocked from some browsers, such as Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox and Apple Safari, to enhance user privacy.

"The uncertainty and thrash Google created since the company began promising the demise of cookies underscores why brands shouldn’t rely heavily on third-party data sources," said Scott Opiela, CMO at Acoustic. "Big tech companies like Google create walled gardens around consumer data, making brands struggle to understand customers on an individual level and form closer customer relationships."

He believes brands must own their customer data rather than relinquishing control and relying on the unpredictable policies, roadmaps, and strategies of external sources.  

"First- and zero-party data collected through brands’ owned channels like websites, email, SMS, and mobile push notifications remain critical to engage consumers effectively. Future-proofing marketing operations and creating a customer engagement strategy must prioritize consumer privacy."