Google’s cookie backflip was never about privacy – it was about power
The news that Google is no longer killing cookies comes at an interesting time. Hatched’s head of digital, data and tech, Denise McCormack explains.
For years, Google touted its plan to phase out third-party cookies as a win for user privacy. The message was clear: the tech giant would lead the charge into a post-cookie world, one where user data wasn’t harvested and sold with reckless abandon.
But now, with the company announcing it has scrapped its plan to remove cookies, it’s painfully obvious: this was never about protecting users. It was about protecting Google.
In case you missed the news, Google has officially abandoned its plan to phase out third-party cookies in Chrome, citing differing perspectives from industry stakeholders and ongoing regulatory scrutiny. This decision follows years of delays and criticism of its Privacy Sandbox initiative, which faced challenges from privacy advocates and legal authorities concerned about user tracking and antitrust issues
Let us never forget that Google left its “Don’t be evil” motto behind, several years ago.
Cookies are cheap and practical. All the alternatives cost more and takes more work to use. Cookies will therefore be used wherever they work for as long as possible. Just watch.
BTW. Consumers don’t demand anything here. Never met anyone in a pub or around a BBQ that claimed to care at all about cookies. The 0.5% tin foil hatters might care. All the rest of us are mostly annoyed we have to click on popups about cookies all the time on the web now.
Agencies have been shooting themselves in the foot for their existence of time. The slow adoption of technology, appalling remuneration for staff and a race to the bottom commercial model, will mean that regardless of the DOJ outcome Advertisers will continue to see more value in housing as tech becomes more acccesible and advertisers require less but more high quality people. The fact Agencies didn’t evolve their model fast enough renders them irrelevant in an automation focused world where Advertiser Data augmented with ML predictive market data available global through APIs combined with a need to hire and pay for top talent in complimentary roles will drive better value outcomes. Google will remain at the forefront of this shift regardless of the DOJ outcome.