Google is once again postponing the depreciation of third-party cookies, the tech giant revealed on Tuesday, ahead of its quarterly results.
Announcing the delay – which is expected to last well into 2025 – Google said there were ongoing challenges stemming from reconciling feedback from the ad industry as well as increased scrutiny from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
It added that it remained committed to engaging with the CMO and ICO, and said that – given these considerations – it would not be able to conduct the necessary changes during the second half of Q4, as planned.
The additional time will give brands and websites more opportunity to prepare and explore alternatives. The new Privacy Sandbox initiative which will replace third-party cookies has already been delayed three times, with the plans to phase out cookies first announced in January 2020.
Google has said the changes will offer a more “privacy-conscious” approach than third party cookies, which will help protect people online.
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However, the CMA has raised concerns around market fairness, pointing out that Google must not “design, develop, or use its privacy sandbox proposals in ways that reinforce the existing market position of its advertising products and services”.
Meanwhile, in a recent WARC report, just half of marketers said they were prepared for the depreciation of third party cookies.
“Yet another delay to the end of third-party cookies proves Google still hasn’t developed the right solution to actually enable targeted, omnichannel advertising,” said Trade Desk UK VP Phil Duffield.
“Now is the time for the advertising industry to build a new identity fabric that works across multiple advertising channels, including the ever-evolving connected TV, while putting consumers in the driving seat. Only then can we optimise global campaigns and protect the future of digital advertising.”
Generative AI firm PrimeAudience’s VP of product Mateusz Rumiński agreed that “Google has no intention to further delay the depreciation of cookies. For the least couple of months, it has been doing all it can to make the industry more prepared.”
“But at the same time, due to low ecosystem engagement, it was hard to spot all the gaps and shortcomings of the proposed Privacy Sandbox solutions. There’s more room for engaging for those that have not done so thus far, yet the clock is ticking and they have to start now.
“You can’t test everything at once – you have to move more gradually, along with the gradual depreciation of third party cookies.”
