There deprecation of third-party cookies on Google it won’t happen by 2024. Yes, because after having twice postponed the self-imposed deadline to eliminate cookies on Chrome, Big G announced on Tuesday that it will move the deadline for the operation for the third time.
In an official statement, published on its blog, Google said that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) of the United Kingdom – the antitrust authority that keeps a close watch on Chrome’s Privacy Sandbox – needs “sufficient time to review all the evidenceincluding industry test results.”
It would therefore be the pressure from the industry and regulatory bodies making it impossible to proceed with the current timetable.
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“We are providing an update on our plan to deprecate third-party cookies on Chrome,” reads the note, which continues: “We recognize that there are ongoing challenges related to reconciling divergent feedback from the industry, regulators and developers, and we will continue to collaborate closely with the entire ecosystem. It is also vital that the CMA has sufficient time to review all evidence, including industry test results, which the CMA has asked market participants to provide by the end of June. Given both of these significant considerations, we will not complete the deprecation of third-party cookies during the second half of the fourth quarter.”
“We remain committed to working closely with the CMA and the ICO and hope to conclude the process this year. Let’s assume, assuming we can reach an agreement, of proceed with the deprecation of third-party cookies starting from the beginning of next year” concludes the press release.
Last February, the CMA reportedly ordered Google to pause its cookie deletion phase until it addressed the anticompetitive concerns. In particular, publishers and adtech companies they would have pushed, according to an indiscretion revealed by AdExchangerthe CMA to investigate the concerns that the Privacy Sandbox could improve the market position of Google’s advertising productsespecially Google Ad Manager.
In fact, some industry executives appear to believe that the current auction setup in Privacy Sandbox ignores the traditional role of the ad server and supply-side platforms, and could strengthen Google’s market share as a result.
In short, Google needs more time to secure an agreement that establishes widespread consensus among regulators, developers and advertising executives.
Google postpones the deprecation of cookies: the comment from industry professionals
Following the news of Google’s new postponement of the definitive blocking of third-party cookies on Chrome, some testimonies from industry professionals have arrived. Among these, that of Marcello Gruppo, Senior Director, Research&Insights, Southern Europe at Ogury, who defined Big G’s delay as “an opportunity to invest in already tested solutions”, and Angela Bersini, General Manager Italy of The Trade Desk, which argues that “brands should prioritize alternative identity solutions”.
