GOOGLE TO ‘PHASE OUT’ THIRD-PARTY COOKIES IN CHROME

Google has recently announced that they will be eliminating third-party cookies from its Chrome browser within two years. While the move will push digital players into new ways of doing business, a cookie-less world is being seen by some to begin from scratch.

It “removes a crutch this industry built,” says Andrew Casale, president and CEO of Index Exchange. A certified YouTube partner says the death of cookies will prompt innovation on old ad formats. “This will shine a light on contextual targeting.’’

But Google’s verdict, which comes as privacy regulation rises, is not positive news for all. Criteo, which built a retargeting empire around cookies, saw its stock drop following Google’s announcement. Others such as data management platforms will also be facing the challenge of changing the structure of their business.

Google says it has a solution, dubbed Privacy Sandbox, that it says won’t impact publishers or advertisers. As it stands, little is understood about what Privacy Sandbox is, but the goal is to provide users with privacy while also providing a similar sort of targeting advertisers use in the present day.