What Does The Google Chrome Privacy Update Mean For Businesses?

A Google Privacy update can be a concern for advertisers, media buyers and publishers alike.

The latest privacy announcement by Google Chrome, set to take effect by 2022, is significant however has been greatly anticipated.

The good news is, it’s not all that bad….

We have laid out a quick and simple summary of all you need to know about the latest Google Sandbox announcement. We also explore how positive digital advertising can still be achieved with this new policy in place.

Why is Google’s Privacy Policy changing?

Firstly let’s take a look at the reason behind Google’s Privacy Policy announcement.

Privacy on the web is one of the main concerns for consumers. Research shows that 72% of people feel tracked by advertisers online which, for consumers, feels like a breakdown in trust.

Consumers continually present ever-changing online behaviour and a growing demand is the need for data protection. Consumers want transparency, choice and control over how their data is being used by industry giants. Not so much to ask, right?

Some industry experts also feel that there has been too much reliance on collecting data from consumers in order to form a relationship.

With the omission of third party cookies, the tracking of user data will become less intrusive, which is a step in the right direction towards improving the privacy of consumers on the internet.

Users will feel more safe when browsing the web and their relationship with brands can continue to grow in a less interfering environment.

What is changing to Google Chrome’s Privacy Policy?

So what exactly can we expect to see change with the new Google Chrome’s Privacy Policy?

Well Google is always trying to provide the best user experience. This is why it has laid out a new roadmap to limit usage of third-party cookies. 

The new Chrome privacy policy is called “privacy sandbox” and Google aims to remove these third-party cookies from Google Chrome browsers by 2022. The new policy will help to protect Google user’s data helping to reduce user concern when browsing the web.

In the new system, cookies will be replaced by five application programming interfaces (APIs).

It’s important to note here that Google is not removing targeted advertising as a whole, the new Chrome privacy sandbox will instead upgrade on previous data collection methods. 

Current Chrome privacy has recently been deemed too invasive.

Third-party cookies in Google Chrome

What are third-party cookies?

A cookie, or web cookie, is a piece of digital data that is used to capture users’ internet activity. 

More likely than not, you’ve seen them pop up at the bottom of a landing page asking you to accept that cookies can be used across that particular website.

Third-party cookies are capable of recording a number of different user actions, for example:

• Pages/websites visited
• Items added to cart on eCommerce website
• Entry fields filled out on a form

This information is then collected and used to target specific groups of users based on their interests and behaviour.

What does the new Google policy mean for the digital media industry?

Everyone in the digital media industry will be affected by Google’s new privacy standards.

As we move towards a direction of digital transparency, digital media companies in particular will need to make changes to their current way of working. Strategies will need to be revisited, with more traditional data collection methods no longer being possible.

However it is not all doom and gloom.

Brands may not be able to collect as much data, but the data that they are able to collect can be of higher quality. Advertisers can focus on utilising more sophisticated analytics tools that construct more precise personas of real-world consumers.

The new Google privacy policy will therefore force advertisers into collecting higher quality and more valuable information from their customers.

There are obvious concerns surrounding this new Google policy, however Google has said it is open to working with advertisers to ensure they reap the benefits of the new Privacy Sandbox policy.

Google has also said it’s open to working with advertisers and Chrome users to make sure its Privacy Sandbox benefits all industry stakeholders, not just its bottom line.

5874 Commerce Digital Experts Are Here To Help

5874 Commerce are a double-award winning eCommerce agency based in Birmingham. We have a team of digital experts with experience in helping clients build and tailor their digital strategies to meet their business needs.

If you need help with your digital strategy or are concerned about the impacts of the Google Privacy Policy, why not get in touch with our team today. Fill out our online enquiry form or alternatively call 0121 369 5874 or email success@5874commerce.com.