Google has delayed killing Third Party Cookies. Again.

Google has delayed killing Third Party Cookies. Again.

Perhaps to keep shareholders happy.

First some context:

In 2020, Google in its official blog said, “Users are demanding greater privacy--including transparency, choice and control over how their data is used--and it’s clear the web ecosystem needs to evolve to meet these increasing demands.”?

So it planned to make 3rd party cookies obsolete in 2022 in Chrome browser. Chrome was and is the most-used browser globally.?

What do cookies do?

Browser cookies are used to store information about user preferences and browsing history. This information can be used to customize the user's experience on a website or to track their activity on a website.

One common use-case is to store login details. This way, when a user comes back to a website, they do not have to enter their login information again. A cookie does not store a password but instead keeps a unique identifier for a website to remember you.

Another use-case for browser cookies is ad targeting. This is where a website will store information about what a user has been looking at on the internet in order to show them targeted ads.

The Delay:

In 2021, Google postponed its plan to kill cookies to end of 2022. An update on its blog said, “more time is needed across the ecosystem to get this right.”.

Then, again, last week Google said “we now intend to begin phasing out third-party cookies in Chrome in the second half of 2024” citing that the ecosystem needs more time to evaluate the replacement technology - Privacy Sandbox.?

Why The Delay?

While the company says the market isn’t ready to phase-out cookies yet, it’s likely that Google’s own ad revenues may be at stake.?

Globally, economies are slowing down. Inflation is growing at unprecedented rates. Tech stocks have taken a beating.?

And recently, Google also said, “we’ll be slowing the pace of hiring for the rest of the year.”?

Considering how unpredictable the immediate future is, Google is delaying the demise of the cookie.?

Why would Google risk making less money and potentially annoy its investors?! It’s a public company so maximising shareholder value is high priority.?

It’s a tough act for Google to balance - Privacy demand from consumers and Profit demand from shareholders.?

Will Google delay this again when it’s time?