Five years, three months and seven days since Google first announced plans to kill off third party cookies by 2022, the Alphabet company has finally confirmed what many people suspected from the start – it’s back to square one.
With more delays than a 1970s British Rail service, many saw the writing on the wall last April when the company said that instead of deprecating third-party cookies, it would introduce a new experience in Chrome that let people make “an informed choice that applies across their web browsing, and they’d be able to adjust that choice at any time”.
But the plan was obviously vexing even the sharpest minds over how the company could achieve this, although it has insisted that “divergent opinions” among the advertising industry, regulators and developers had emerged over moves that would limit third-party cookies.
However, others believe the move is not a product decision but a deliberate procrastination, coming just weeks after the US Department of Justice called for Chrome to be sold off after formally labelling the company a monopolist in digital advertising.
This is the real driving force, according to Brand Metrics CPO Johanna Silfwer Bendroth. She comments: “Google’s repeated delays in cookie deprecation aren’t really about user privacy, but rather about strategic stalling amid antitrust pressures.
“Now is the time for the digital advertising industry to pivot, rather than apply patchwork fixes, and embrace truly privacy-first, consent-led solutions. Unlike cookies, brand lift data respects user privacy while providing marketers with insights into campaign effectiveness, consumer sentiment, and engagement.
“By embracing these cookieless technologies, they can optimise performance without compromising user trust or relying on intrusive tracking methods. Privacy is no longer optional – it’s a requirement.
“As regulations increase (around 75% of the global population will be covered by data privacy laws by 2026, according to Gartner) and consumer expectations evolve, brand lift measurement enables marketers to future-proof their strategies, proving value without surveillance.
“It’s time to lead – not delay. A better digital future won’t be built by holding on to the past, but by boldly moving beyond it.”
For Making Science chief revenue officer Nick Tiano, who worked at Google for over a decade, the decision to forgo a new standalone third-party cookie prompt marks the conclusion to the years-long deliberations over cookie deprecation.
He explains: “While a prompt could have hastened deprecation via user opt-outs, the approach presented significant regulatory risk over potential self-preferencing.
“Instead, Google is emphasising enhanced user control through improved browser settings by investing in privacy-preserving technologies such as IP Protection. Although the future of the Privacy Sandbox APIs remains uncertain, there is still a world where they support advertising and measurement functions as third-party cookies and IP addresses become less reliable.”
Meanwhile, Mantis executive vice-president and founder Terry Hornsby reckons advancements in alternative targeting approaches should not go to waste just because cookies are sticking around longer than expected.
He adds: “The industry has made substantial progress with contextual solutions that can identify interests in specific environments – such as gardening enthusiasts browsing sports content – without necessarily needing to know who the person is.
“This not only supports advertisers in maintaining performance but also empowers publishers to better monetise their content by aligning ad relevance with context rather than identity. In turn, this means a more balanced ecosystem, where advertisers have the opportunity to blend approaches, extending beyond the current environment while still respecting the broader direction toward privacy.”
ID5 chief executive and co-founder Mathieu Roche agrees: “One thing the digital advertising industry has become all too familiar with when navigating its relationship with Google is expecting the unexpected. After five years of back and forth announcements, false starts, investments, testing, and half-baked initiatives from Google, we somehow find ourselves right back where we started.
“But it doesn’t have to be this way. Too much time, energy, and progress has been made to simply reset to square one. Back in 2020, when Google first announced its plan to phase out third-party cookies, the industry already knew they were a flawed, outdated method of reconciling user identity, across the web. That hasn’t changed.
“From the significant data leakage risks they pose for publishers, to the latency issues caused by cookie syncing, and the low match rates across ad tech platforms third-party cookies manage to deliver the worst of both worlds: they don’t effectively power relevant advertising, and they certainly don’t protect user or publisher data. So is it really surprising that browsers like Safari, Edge, and Firefox tossed stale third-party cookies out years ago?”
Roche reckons that just because cookies have not really evolved in the last five or 20 years doesn’t mean the industry has to stay stuck in the stone (or cookie) age.
He points out that since Google’s original announcement, there has been real momentum in the development and adoption of alternative identity solutions.
In fact, recent data from Bidswitch and Equativ shows that bid requests lacking an ID in Chrome are now down to just 30%. The data also highlights the value of using multiple IDs, with advertisers gaining incremental CPM reach and publishers seeing 2x to 3x improvements in CPMs and bid rates.
Roche continues: “While I don’t believe this is the final chapter in Google’s cookie saga, it’s clear we’ve reached a fork in the road. The choice is ours: continue down a path shaped by monopolistic control, or take a different route, one that embraces innovation, fosters healthy competition, and yields better outcomes for the entire advertising ecosystem from users to publishers, advertisers, and beyond.
“We also must remember that cookies don’t make life any easier and identity in Chrome is just a small piece of the puzzle. Advertisers and publishers don’t solely operate in Chrome but want to connect with their audiences across other browsers and channels like CTV, audio, and gaming too. The industry needs a better system that unifies identity layers and a wide variety of signals across these environments.”
Finally, Digital Envoy VP international Charlie Johnson says Google’s latest move feels a bit like being told the wedding is off after the cake has already been cut.
She explains: “Let’s not forget: cookies were never the gold standard of targeting — more like the crumbling biscuit at the bottom of the jar. Crucial channels like CTV don’t even touch them, and consumers? They’re more privacy-savvy than ever (and far less tolerant of digital stalking).
“So if not now… when? The push to move on from cookies came from a genuine need — and that need hasn’t magically disappeared. Advertisers should keep leaning into privacy-first strategies. The momentum is real, the groundwork’s been laid, and frankly, we’ve come too far to turn the car around now.”
All the industry has to do now is persuade marketers that there is an alternative…
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