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In May 2018, the EU regulation on the protection of personal data entered into force. You probably heard a short word more than once that radically changed the approach to privacy on the Internet - GDPR. What is and, more importantly, what do cookies on websites have to do with it?
One of the most distinctive features of our time is universal Internet access. The technological revolution in the last twenty years has accelerated considerably, giving global corporations a voice. The market of electronics and services provided via the Internet surprises us with novelties almost regularly, the existence of which we had not even dreamed of a few years ago. No wonder that this industry also has legal regulations.
- first-party cookies
- third-party cookies
The first ones are mainly responsible for the broadly understood help to the user - thanks to first-party cookies, the website is able to remember, for example, your unfinished purchases in the online store and preferences regarding the website language or personalized settings. Why then third-party cookies?
The answer is relatively simple - third-party cookies are transferred to the company's partners that collect first-party cookies. What happens to them later is usually a sweet secret of any corporation. We know, however, that thanks to them, user profiles are created by certain algorithms, which say a lot about the preferences of each of them. One of the merits of third-party cookies is that after making a purchase in X store, other websites contain advertisements for products similar to those you have just purchased. So what's the problem?
What about online privacy?
This is where it gets troublesome - according to the GDPR regulations, each user should be able to choose the data they agree to provide. Although first-part cookies do not raise any doubts and are included in the package necessary to use the website, there is a debate about third-party cookies, and companies come up with new ways to deal with restrictions in a different way. One of them is accepting all cookies collectively - usually we don't want to waste a dozen or so seconds choosing from several options that we practically do not understand anyway. Easier to click "Accept All".
How will the lack of third-party cookies affect my website?
The giants in the electronic market are gradually withdrawing the use of third-part cookies. Among them are Firefox and Safari. Recently, Google also announced the resignation of cookies of this type, so it can be concluded that sooner or later they will cease to be present on the Internet at all. The impact of these activities may vary, but it will certainly result in a change in the current conduct of marketing. Possible consequences for your website include:
decline in ad profitability (users will receive random ads)
the need to expand first-party cookies with items necessary to conduct profiling, currently in third-party
using Facebook to advertise your products or services.
Why Facebook? Because it is largely based on advertising. That's why - to put it simply - he wants your ads to be as profitable as possible in order to maximize his own profits. For this reason, third-party cookies have a large ally in the Silicon Valley giant.
What's next for third-party cookies?
Regardless of whether you run a local business or a large company, a solution to your problem should be found. Much depends on the movements of the tycoons on the market, who dictate the conditions on which the entire Internet world functions. It remains, therefore, to have your finger on the pulse and - whenever the need arises - to make the necessary changes in the privacy policy to adapt to the regulations, and at the same time not to put yourself in a losing position in relation to other companies.
Trust The Process Team!