Yet again, Google delays deprecation of third-party cookies

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A story seemingly torn from the pages of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," Google has yet again kicked the can down the road regarding the planned obsolescence of third-party cookies.

After months of assurances, solemn promises, and repeated declarations of "This time, we really mean it," the inevitable delay was announced earlier this week, with an updated deadline set for early next year.

While many advertisers are somewhat relieved that the cookie-pocalypse is no longer scheduled for Q3 and Q4 of this year, frustrations and questions abound as to if and when the industry as a whole can move past cookies.

The decision to extend the deadline follows a damning report from the UK's Competition and Markets Authority. This report raised doubts about Google's Privacy Sandbox meeting regulatory requirements.

Google acknowledged the ongoing struggle to reconcile feedback from various stakeholders, including industry players, regulators, and developers. Moreover, they stressed the importance of allowing the CMA ample time to evaluate all evidence. This includes insights gleaned from industry tests slated to conclude by June.

The CMA’s investigation has been driven in part by concerns that Google’s leading tech candidate to replace cookies, its Privacy Sandbox, might be giving preferential treatment to Google’s own digital ad offerings and isn’t integrated into the traditional structures of ad servers, supply-side platforms and demand-side platforms.

Even despite this latest delay, many industry experts still expect cookies to go away eventually.

And just because Google isn’t ready to bid cookies adieu, campaigns can still get ahead of the curve now. Tactics such as contextual targeting and first-party data integration will be essential in a post-cookie landscape.