After literally years of back-and-forth, Google has announced that it will be keeping third-party cookies in the Chrome browser after all.
Instead, it is introducing a “new experience in Chrome” that will let users make more informed choices about their web browsing and ad targeting, which they can adjust as they go.
At the moment, Google’s VP of Privacy Sandbox Anthony Chavez said in a blog post that it is discussing the move with regulators — namely the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) — and it will be discussing the move with the adtech industry.
Essentially, Google’s rationale for not deprecating third-party cookies is that the Privacy Sandbox testing had worked well enough in protecting users’ privacy and ensuring that advertisers can find meaningful audiences. Per the blog post:
“We developed the Privacy Sandbox with the goal of finding innovative solutions that meaningfully improve online privacy while preserving an ad-supported internet that supports a vibrant ecosystem of publishers, connects businesses with customers, and offers all of us free access to a wide range of content…
“Early testing from ad tech companies, including Google, has indicated that the Privacy Sandbox APIs have the potential to achieve these outcomes. And we expect that overall performance using Privacy Sandbox APIs will improve over time as industry adoption increases. At the same time, we recognize this transition requires significant work by many participants and will have an impact on publishers, advertisers, and everyone involved in online advertising.”
So, this means that some users could decide cookies aren’t for them and opt for one of the Privacy Sandbox APIs, which as they’re still in the “sandbox” are far from perfect at the moment.
However, it also means that some users could decide that they prefer cookies and, essentially, nothing changes.
The announcement comes just after Google released a range of results from the Privacy Sandbox showing how well it had performed, wrote DigiDay.
These tests showed that Advertiser spend saw an 89 per cent recovery in Google Display Ads and 86 per cent in Display & Video 360.
Conversions per dollar (CPD) recovered by 97 per cent in Google Display Ads and 95 per cent in Display & Video 360.
Advertiser spend recovery was 55 per cent in Google Ads and 49 per cent in Display & Video 360, with better results for campaigns combining remarketing with other strategies.
That’s advertisers. Publishers are a different kettle of fish. Again, according to DigiDay, publishers are less keen on the changes and said that they cannot make proper judgements about the Privacy Sandbox APIs until the testing moved beyond the one per cent of Chrome users that Google added to the Sandbox. For them, this decision may see them biggest sigh of relief to date.
