Google’s plan to deprecate third-party cookies in early 2022 has been delayed by almost two years, in part to accommodate an evaluation by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
Why it matters — Google’s elimination of third-party cookies and its anticipated implementation of its Privacy Sandbox proposals, including FLoC and FLEDGE, has thrown many curves towards marketers eager to understand the consequences. Both run the risk of triggering seismic shifts in the industry, which is why the continued delay -- now targeting Q4 2023 -- has been met with a positive reaction. Regardless of why -- Google continues to exist under a cloud of regulation, especially in the UK -- an additional year gives Google and the industry at large breathing room to prepare, refine, and understand the new water in which they will swim.