What are third-party cookies?
Third-party cookies. These are files placed on the user's PC, smartphone or tablet by the server of a domain other than that of the site visited. They are generally placed by an audience measurement service, an advertising network or an advertising platform.
Third-party cookies allow Internet users to be vp maintenance email lists tracked as they navigate across multiple websites. They can be used to analyse behaviour and adjust marketing strategies.
Third-party cookies are the opposite of first-party or internal cookies. The latter are associated with the domain name of the website visited.
Good to know: Key dates in the gradual disappearance of third-party cookies
2017: Third-party cookies are deleted after 24 hours
2018: GDPR, requiring explicit consent for all processing of personal data. Third-party cookies blocked by Safari and Firefox web browsers.
Google 2020: End of third-party cookies revealed for 2022. Date later pushed back to 2024. Explicit consent requested by Apple in the in-app environment.
2022: First beta tests of the Privacy Sandbox begin. These are proposals that satisfy cross-site use cases without third-party cookies or other tracking methods.
Reasons for the end of third-party cookies
The gradual elimination of third-party cookies is mainly related to the growing concern of Internet users about:
Privacy protection . 72% of Internet users say they are concerned about their online activities being recorded for advertising purposes. More than half of consumers now reject the use of cookies or change their preferences to limit tracking. 82% expect brands to do the same, and 79% fear being tracked. Concerns about security have led 76% of Internet users to reduce or abandon at least one online activity.
Retargeting . Retargeting involves targeting an Internet user who has visited a site. This is done without completing a purchase. They are then offered targeted advertising for the products or services they initially viewed. The goal is to encourage visitors to return to the site to complete their order.
Over time, third-party cookies have become less reliable. The reason:
Ad blockers for web browsers ;
Share the browser with other family members;
Clear cache.
Advertisers complain about the lack of precision and non-exclusivity of data. In addition, they have no way of verifying the information: origin, age, accuracy, etc. Finally, the quality of data is not always up to par.
Finally, the elimination of third-party cookies aims to reduce the possibilities of tracking by advertising market players. The aim is to replace them with segmentation methods that guarantee user confidentiality .
