Google assures ad execs of revised third-party cookie controls but timeline is uncertain

After years of expecting Google to ditch third-party cookies in Chrome, advertisers found out it wouldn’t be that simple. Instead, Chrome users get to decide if they want to be tracked by those cookies. It was a harsh reminder that they have to dance to Google’s tune.

“It’s hard not to feel like you’re a ball of yarn being played with by a cat when the ad tech industry is completely at the whims of Google,” said Drew Stein, CEO of Audigent. 

Understandably, comments like this have been the norm over the last week. For what it’s worth, Google execs have been trying to placate everyone as best they can. They’ve met with execs, held forums, and even participated in panels to field questions and calm the storm. They even attended a meeting described as a war room by one attendee, where Google execs heard grievances from various parts of the ecosystem.

Wherever they’ve been, their response to the myriad of questions has been consistent: there’s still a lot to figure out when it comes to giving Chrome users more explicit control over third-party cookie tracking. In fact, there are more questions than answers right now, according to several ad execs interviewed for this article. 

When they’ve asked Google reps how the new browser-level controls will work, they were told it’s still a work in progress with nothing finalized yet. Those seeking clarity on the Sandbox’s future, given its technical issues, got the same answers they’ve been hearing for months. And as for the timeline? There isn’t one.

The blog post Google used to announce its pivot last week included all available information on the matter for now. And just like that post, the execs have been telling everyone they meet that they want Chrome users to be able to make an “informed choice” about whether they want third-party cookies tracking them while browsing the internet.

“Our goal is to ensure users can make an informed choice, and this is something that we’re thinking through in terms of the user experience [in Chrome],” said Alex Cone, product manager for the Sandbox on a virtual panel last week that was hosted by education provider U of Digital. “We’re working on those designs, which we’ll discuss with regulators as we advance.”

With the lack of details on pretty much everything, it’s no surprise that ad execs have latched onto the one clear(ish) point from all these interactions so far: giving people an “informed choice.”

If true, and Google is really making this a priority, it could shake things up for third-party cookies in Chrome. It hints at a move similar to Apple’s playbook: giving users a one-time dialog to opt in or out of cookies across the browser. Sure, they can tweak that choice anytime, but let’s be honest, the odds are slim. For Apple, opt-in rates hover between 12% to 40% depending on the app category, according to Business of Apps. Should Google follow suit, it could have almost the same effect as its original plan to ditch cookies — just without Google taking the blame this time.

Until this is clear, all ad execs can do is speculate. 

What is certain, though, is that when answers do emerge, it will be the Sandbox team providing them — a noteworthy point given the past confusion over who was actually driving Google’s agenda on third-party cookies. This confusion turned into skepticism for some observers, who questioned whether the ads team was pulling the strings. Turns out, those concerns were a bit off the mark, with one source suggesting that mid-level members of the relevant teams at Google were only informed of the decision over the weekend before the July 22 announcement. 

“They [the ads team] were given the information [about the change] within the same timeframe as the rest of the industry from what we’ve observed,” said Nick Tiano, chief revenue officer at digital marketing and tech consulting firm Making Science. “In the sense that the Chrome team really does treat the Google advertising group, just like any other ad tech partner — there’s a clean divide between the two parts.”

So, while ad execs wait for clarity from the Chrome team, they have to dig deep and find comfort in knowing what’s not happening, even if they’re still left guessing about what comes next. After all, they’ve had four years of practice.

At the July 29 weekly meeting of the IAB Tech Lab’s Privacy Sandbox Task Force — a forum where members discussed concerns about the series of proposed APIs — the consensus among attendees was to “stay the course.”

One attendee, who asked for anonymity in return for candor, told Digiday that many of their peers were seemingly satisfied with Google’s communications standards since the July 22 announcement.

“They have been pretty transparent, more than usual,” noted the source, who regularly attends the meetings, adding that while the overall situation is concerning, indeed, many are infuriated, there was a stoic attitude among many in the sector.

However, two separate sources noted that approximately half of the companies they were aware of had put Sandbox testing on hiatus, particularly smaller entities with fewer resources than scaled public companies.

Many are awaiting the finalized feedback from the the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), while others are holding out for greater clarity on how Google will seek cookie permission from Chrome users, with one source noting they expected such an update in Q4 2024. 

“Without those details, we’re in limbo where we don’t really know what to expect about how many people will have third-party cookies in the future,” said Ian Trider, vp of real-time bidding platform operations at Basis Technologies. “Knowing that is hugely critical to the plans we all make.”