Google delays deprecation of third-party cookies once again

Google announced that it will not complete third-party deprecation during the second half of Q4 2024 as originally planned.

• The pushback is due to “ongoing challenges” trying to reconcile industry feedback on Google’s Privacy Sandbox, specifically from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
• Google noted that it’s “critical” that the CMA has enough time to review feedback from industry tests, which it has asked participants to provide by the end of June.

Google hopes to reach an agreement with the CMA and the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) by the end of the year and proceed with cookie deprecation starting in early 2025.

“More time to test and get comfortable with Privacy Sandbox APIs before third-party cookies are deprecated is a good thing—only if the industry uses it,” said our analyst Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf. “It’s clear the APIs are not in their final form. There are plenty of valid technical criticisms, including the lack of adequate support for video formats, and the ICO’s stance that the Sandbox doesn't go far enough to protect privacy is an interesting wrinkle. But this isn’t a reprieve. Advertisers just have more time to reach the finish line.”

What does this mean for marketers? Cookies may not be going away this year, but that doesn’t mean putting a pause on any post-cookie plans—marketers will still need to find new ways to target and measure their campaigns after cookies are gone.

• Less than half (47%) of marketers worldwide said their companies were working on a plan to approach cookie-free targeting, per a September 2023 HubSpot survey.
• Slightly more (56%) have adopted an identity resolution to address cookie loss, per an October report from ID5.

Instead, marketers should use this extra time to build out their first-party data, experiment with Google’s Privacy Sandbox and other emerging targeting solutions, and rethink measurement strategies.

This was originally featured in the EMARKETER Daily newsletter. For more marketing insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.