Google resumes accepting third-party cookies

The issue of cookies in eCommerce is one that frequently impacts us. Anything related to data privacy is under intense scrutiny.

This is why it is surprising to see Google backtrack on one of its most sensitive decisions, as it resumes accepting third-party cookies in its Chrome browser.

The search giant has been fixated on cookies for years. Back in 2020, it announced it is intention to stop collecting these data through its Chrome browser (one of the most popular in the world, both on desktop and mobile devices).

The decision to eliminate third-party cookies has a significant impact, especially on eCommerce. These cookies are essential for advertising, such as remarketing, personalized content, and targeting. Without them, everything becomes more complicated for online stores, and the user experience get worse significantly.

Although, on the other hand, browsing respects privacy much more.

What began as a statement of intent in 2021 started to take shape. The problem was that it was not clear when this measure would be implemented and, more importantly, how.

Google's response was called Privacy Sandbox, a new protocol that included several elements to continue providing the service:

FLoC was, at all times, the main source of friction. Its implementation was so complex that no company was willing to invest the necessary money and resources.

Google was forced to offer a more user-friendly alternative. This was called Topics, which, instead of grouping users into cohorts based on their browsing history, Topics identifies and selects general themes or interests based on the web pages user has visited over a week. These topics could be, for example, "gastronomy," "travel," or "sports."

This seemed more suitable for advertisers as it allowed for slightly more precise targeting, but it was still quite broad.

Relying on its influence and market relevance, Google believed that the other involved parties would eventually comply with its decision. But this adaptation, let’s be honest, never had the pace or popularity that the search engine expected.

Time was passing, and the timeline for implementing this measure kept being pushed back with several delays of the “final” implementation dates. This brought us to 2023 when the seemingly final attempt began.

Starting in early January 2024, Google Chrome began to stop collecting third-party cookies, which would lead to a cookie-free browsing experience by the end of the year according to the plan.

During the first quarter, it was applied to 1% of its users, which is no less than about 30 million people. But at the end of April, an official statement was released in which Google announced an update to its plan to eliminate third-party cookies from Chrome.

In this statement, they ambiguously acknowledged the existence of "challenges" and the need for more time to review the results of the tests conducted.

In the end, they recognized that there was an investigation by British authorities, specifically the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority of the United Kingdom), which could have a lot to say. Conclusion: everything was delayed until 2025 to avoid future sanctions.

At the end of July 2024, in another brief statement, the decision was made official: Google would not eliminate third-party cookies from its browser. They abandoned a plan that never fully convinced anyone.

Well, cookies are going to stay indefinitely, so marketing campaigns and strategies that use this resource will continue to function.

Google does not want all this effort of more than four years to amount to nothing. Its proposal, agreed upon with various regulatory bodies, is to offer a settings menu in the browser, allowing users to decide which cookies they are willing to accept and which they prefer to block.

In reality, this does not seem like something that will significantly change the landscape, as the vast majority of users will not spend time spotting this menu, understanding how it works, and making the necessary adjustments.