Google Is Still Baking Cookies

Hello all, and happy Thursday! 

Bucking industry trends (and its own plans), Google has announced that it will not be phasing out support for third-party cookies after all. For any Lord of The Rings fans out there, I’m reminded of when Bilbo hesitates to leave the ring to Frodo after his birthday party in The Fellowship of the Ring. “After all, why not?” said Google (more or less) in its blog post. “Why shouldn't I keep [third-party cookies]?" 

The announcement comes after multiple postponements of its third-party cookie deprecation. Now, it appears that Google will be taking a hybrid approach that “lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing,” combining its proposed alternative, the Privacy Sandbox, with third-party cookies. Google’s post isn’t exactly clear on what this approach will look like in practice, but more details will surely come in the future. 

So, what does this mean from a consent management perspective?  

Not much! Third-party cookies can violate data privacy rights but are perfectly fine when managed correctly. At the same time, first-party cookies still collect personal information that requires consent under data privacy regulations. If you choose to use third-party cookies on your website, you’ll just need to configure your consent management solution appropriately. 

Meanwhile, other browsers’ decisions to drop support for third-party cookies and Google’s wavering on this subject have encouraged businesses to seek new and more privacy-conscious approaches for data collection and advertising. Regulators, too, seem to be ramping up enforcement across industries and jurisdictions. For consumers, it seems unlikely that this news will result in any rollback to their data privacy protections. 

So ultimately, while the headline may have given you whiplash, it may not amount to all that much change in terms of the state of data privacy. That, of course, depends on what Google chooses to do next. 

Best, 

Arlo 

P.S. Speaking of the rapidly changing data privacy landscape, if you’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed by the tangle of data privacy regulations your organization is subject to, we’ve got just the webinar for you. “Navigating the Regulation Jungle: Be Compliant, Work Efficiently, and Stay Sane” goes live August 1st at 1 PM EST! 

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