Adobe mitigation: Google to stop supporting third-party cookies by 2024

We have been giving more thought to and having a conversation about the cookie-less program in recent years. Google Chrome, like other web browsers, will continue to support cookies, as they are a widely used technology for managing state and user information in web applications. However, Google has taken steps to improve privacy in Chrome by limiting the use of third-party cookies and implementing other privacy features.

In January 2022, Google announced plans to phase out support for third-party cookies in Chrome within two years, as part of its efforts to enhance privacy for users. Google will discontinue support for third-party cookies by the end of 2024. Google also explained that it won’t develop new methods of tracking people as they browse the internet or incorporate them into its products.  

Third-party cookies are cookies set by domains other than the one the user is visiting, and they can be used to track users across the web. By limiting their use, Google aims to provide users with more control over their data and reduce the risk of unwanted tracking. However, first-party cookies, which are set by the website the user is visiting, will continue to be supported in Chrome.

In 2019, Firefox started blocking cookies from third-party websites, and the company has since taken action against trackers that use caches to generate “supercookies.” The following year, in 2020, Apple got on board by disabling third-party cookies in Safari and announcing that support for its IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers) would no longer be available in iOS 14. Apple took it a step further with iOS 14.5. Now, devices don’t send out the IDFA unless the user gives permission.

These browser restrictions are part of a larger move away from tracking by unknown third parties and toward sharing of information between users and trusted brands in a clear and unambiguous way. 

Adobe Marketing Suite Impact Analysis

According to research, while 60% of experience personalization currently relies on third-party data, only 37% of brands are prepared for a world without cookies. As a result, the vast majority of brands are evaluating the impact and formulating strategies to reduce it.

Adobe Customer Journey Analytics and Cross-Device Analytics let users add hashed logins to cookies. This helps you understand the customer journey across devices and, in Customer Journey Analytics, online and offline channels.

Adobe provides ways for customers to supplement traditional cookies by including durable identifiers collected via their first-party relationships to support this move. This is done so that customers can supplement traditional cookies with new, durable identifiers.

Adobe Analytics

Adobe Analytics tracks site activity with first-party cookies. Analytics uses third-party cookies for cross-domain tracking and advertising, including retargeting. Third-party cookies help Analytics understand a visitor’s off-site activity, such as on your other domains.

There are many browsers and anti-spyware programs that reject and delete third-party cookies. Adobe sets cookies even if third-party cookies are blocked. Using the Experience Platform Identity Service (ECID Service) or Analytics’ legacy identifiers (SVI cookies) affects behaviour in the following ways:

• The Experience Platform Identity Service (ECID Service) sets first-party cookies regardless of collection domain. If they don’t match, the Identity Service can set cookies in your site’s domain using JavaScript.
• Your data collection server configuration affects Analytics legacy identifiers (s_vi cookie). Cookies are first-party if the data collection server matches your domain. Cookies are third-party if the collection server does not match your domain. If third-party cookies are blocked, Analytics sets a first-party fallback id (s_fid) instead of s_vi.

The “demdex.net” cookie is used by the Visitor ID service to keep track of visitors across different customer domains. For customers using the Visitor ID Service, cookies have the properties SameSite=None and secure set by default, which allows these cookies to support third-party use cases.

 The “s_vi” and “s_fd” cookies, which represent the legacy Analytics ID service, are set as a third-party cookies for implementations that do not use a custom CNAME collection domain. Adobe suggests few mitigations strategy in absence of third-party cookie support.

Below are a few options for mitigation:

• Server-side data collection

You can use either the Data Insertion API or the Bulk Data Insertion API to send data to the Analytics server from the client side. You can check and compare different analytics to see which one best fits your use cases.

• First Party Device ID (FPID) with Web SDK

You have the option when using the Adobe Experience Platform Web SDK, to set and manage your own device identifiers as opposed to relying on the Experience Cloud IDs that are generated by Adobe (ECIDs). These are known as “first-party device IDs” (IDs assigned by the first party) (FPIDs). For more, see here.

Adobe Experience Manager

Adobe Experience Manager works only within the customer’s domain, so it doesn’t interact much with cookies from other sites and has little to no effect.

Adobe Target

By using cookies, Adobe Target lets website owners figure out which online content and offers visitors are more interested in. Target uses mbox cookies. Adobe Target isn’t really affected because same-site activity only uses cookies from the same site.

Adobe Audience Manager

Audience Manager helps build unique audience profiles so you can identify your most valuable segments and use them across any digital channel. AAM uses demdex cookie. It doesn’t rely on third-party cookies.

The overwhelming majority of brands are, at this very moment, conducting research into its effects and formulating strategies to lessen their impact. Adobe is also doing similar research and impact for its customer. It is recommended to each brand do its own impact analysis before coming to any mitigation plan.

Reference:

1. https://experienceleague.adobe.com/docs/core-services/interface/administration/ec-cookies/cookies-first-party.html?lang=en
2. https://experienceleague.adobe.com/docs/core-services/interface/administration/ec-cookies/cookies-target.html?lang=en
3. https://experienceleague.adobe.com/docs/analytics/technotes/cookies/cookieless.html?lang=en

Disclaimer:

The views and opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer or company. Any content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal, financial, tax, or other professional advice. The author will not be held liable for any errors or omissions in the information provided or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its use. Visitors should always seek the advice of a qualified professional before making any decisions based on the information on this blog. If you believe any corrections are necessary, please contact me.

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