Even though cookies are exceeding their shelf life, this change will further shake up marketers efforts at remarketing, analytics and attribution.

As expected, Google announced upcoming changes to how its Chrome browser handles cookies and fingerprint addresses at its annual I/O developer conference. New tools in Chrome will allow users to more easily block or delete third-party cookies, Google said. The company also announced a browser extension that will show more information about the parties involved in advertising transactions and tracking. New cookie handling in Chrome. Google said the “dumb approaches” to blocking cookies were not effective for users because they handle all cookies in the same way — from third-party cookies used to log users into sites to third-party cookies used for tracking-so it changes the way cookies work in Chrome. In terms of security, Google said the change would also help protect cookies from cross-site injections and default disclosure attacks. Eventually, Google said, Chrome will limit cross-site cookies to HTTPS connections.
In the coming months, developers will need to make clear which cookies can work across sites and potentially be used to track users with a new mechanism based on the SameSite cookie attribute on the Internet. The SameSite attribute can be used to restrict the use of cookies in the context of the first or the same site. In the weeds. Chrome 76 will include a new cookie flag of the same site by default, according to the web.development. Cookies without the SameSite attribute will not be available in a third-party context. Developers will need to declare cookies that should be available on third-party sites in Chrome with SameSite=None. Google says it will allow Chrome users to clear cross-site cookies and leave single-domain cookies, which are used to log in and configure the site in tact.
Developers can start testing their sites to see how changes to cookie processing will affect their sites in the latest version of Chrome for developers. We deal with fingerprints. The company also said it was taking additional measures to limit browser fingerprinting techniques, which are used as workarounds for in-place tracking when users opt out of third-party cookies. Google said Chrome plans to “aggressively restrict” browser fingerprinting and reduce the ways browsers passively fingerprinted. “Because fingerprints are not transparent and are not under the user’s control, this leads to tracking that does not respect the user’s choice,” Google said. The company added that it does not use fingerprints to personalize ads or allow fingerprint data to be imported into its advertising products.
Custom cookie controls. Google said it would provide users with more information about how sites use cookies and give them easier means to manage cross-site cookies. The company did not say what those changes would look like in Chrome’s interface, but said it would review features for users later this year. Ad data browser extension. The company also announced that it is developing an open source browser extension that will display the names of ad tech players participating in an ad transaction, as well as companies with ad trackers attached to the ad. The extension will also show the factors used for personalization. This will be the same information that Google shows when you click “why this ad”.
Why should we care. The end of the digital advertising ecosystem’s reliance on tracking and attribution cookies is long overdue. Cookies are not supported in mobile applications, and mobile websites and applications now account for the majority of advertising costs. Google and Facebook have moved from cookies to using deterministic identifiers of registered users. Chrome is also not a trailblazer in this area. It follows in the footsteps of Apple Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP). The latest version, ITP 2.2, will limit cross-site cookies to track users on Safari for one day. Earlier this week, Microsoft announced that its chromium-based Edge browser will also have new tracking controls for third-party cookies.
For marketers, the full impact of these changes and how users respond to the tools probably won’t be seen for months, but will have a significant impact on remarketing, Analytics, and attribution. It’s also unclear whether (or how much) the new Chrome requirements will benefit Google with its relationship with billions of users compared to other advertising technology firms, as the Wall Street Journal predicted.