#google vision

The significance of third-party cookies in digital advertising campaigns, which has long provided advertisers with an extensive source of user data, has been a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it enabled highly targeted advertising, but on the other, it has raised substantial privacy concerns among users. 

In response to these concerns, privacy regulators such as GDPR and CCPA have implemented stringent privacy guidelines, and major web browsers like Safari and Firefox have taken steps to ban the use of third-party cookies. Notably, Google, a key player in the digital advertising ecosystem, initiated a strategic phase-out plan for third-party cookies in January 2021. 

Google's journey towards a cookieless future has seen several twists and turns. The journey began in 2021 when Google first started discussing the concept of a cookieless future. In January 2021, the company made a pivotal announcement, revealing its strategic plan to phase out third-party cookies. As the year unfolded, Google encountered a change in plans, delaying the phase-out until 2022, as confirmed in July 2021. However, a significant development occurred in January 2022 when Google decided to remove the Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC) from its third-party cookie phase-out strategy. In the most recent update, from July 2022, Google further extended the timeline, pushing the phase-out to 2024. This timeline reflects the evolving landscape of Google's approach to a cookieless future.

What is Privacy Sandbox?

It is a set of proposals to improve user privacy on web and Android devices without impacting online advertising. 

Key features of the Privacy Sandbox include:

Topics: A new API that allows websites to show relevant ads to users based on their browsing interests, without tracking them across websites.

FLEDGE: A new API that allows websites to measure the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns without using third-party cookies.

Trust Token: A new API that helps websites to verify that a user is logged in without sharing their personal information with third parties.

Attribution Reporting: A new API that helps app developers to measure the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns without using third-party cookies.

Private Advertising APIs: A set of APIs that allows app developers to show relevant ads to users without tracking them across apps.

Apart from this, Google has also developed TURTLEDOVE which is an acronym for Two Uncorrelated Requests, Then Locally-Executed Decision On Victory.

TURTLEDOVE was introduced as an addition to FLoC. The complex acronym reflects a simple idea – to make the decision about which ads to show on the device, rather than in the cloud. TURTLEDOVE enables users to retain more control over their data. It allows users to store their interests and preferences on their local device, granting permission for advertisers to access this information. This process ensures that user data stays private and secure, with the power to revoke access at any time.

Conclusion

As per the latest updates, Google will disable the cookies for 1% of Chrome users in the first quarter of 2024. 

Google's vision for a cookie-less future isn't without its challenges. Advertisers and marketers have relied on cookies for targeted advertising for years, and the transition to a privacy-centric approach may require adjustments in their strategies.