A response to Google’s decision to abandon 3rd party cookie deprecation
Google’s choice to not universally deprecate third-party cookies, but to offer users the option to decide whether to keep them, aligns with Utiq’s mission to provide user consent and control over their data. However, this move creates a chaotic consumer experience. Users who opt out of third-party cookies will still see consent requests on websites, although the technologies will not actually function. Privacy should be a default setting.
The key factor will be how Google presents cookie choices. Given the low opt-in rates for Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT), the proportion of users with third party cookies enabled will plunge below 10% making them almost obsolete anyway.
But non-cookie-based tech faces a significant challenge. The deprecation of third-party cookies was going to represent an immediate reset of all cookie-based campaign spend for frequency, targeting, and optimisation. Now, advertisers will instead likely shift gradually over a period as cookies become increasingly absent.
Utiq’s testing with top European web publishers and advertisers shows that 50% of inventory is already cookieless. This excludes Connected TV (CTV) and mobile apps, where Google’s plans are still unclear. However, cookies – even if they are present – are a poor proxy for a person. Again, Utiq data shows that on average, a single person today is represented by multiple third party cookies. This means they were never a good solution for advertising in the first place.
For a sustainable, dynamic open web, the industry must wrestle control from a few dominant gatekeepers who have held sway for too long. Before the open web becomes less valuable for everyone, something has to change.
It’s time to embrace new technologies and establish a more balanced and transparent ecosystem that prioritizes user consent. Working together as an industry, we can empower trusted and responsible digital marketing that fosters quality ad-funded content and online services with data privacy at their heart.