
Crumbs! No end in sight for the third-party cookie
Google's decision to back-track on its plans to block third-party cookies in Chrome seemed to come out of the blue. But we're keeping a watching brief as they continue to work on browser changes to protect user privacy, says Candela Valle Silva, senior product marketing manager
Google announced plans to phase out third-party cookies in 2020, aiming to complete the process by the end of 2025. This would bring them in line with other leading web browsers like Firefox and Safari, which already block them by default.
All these web browser companies are taking action because of well-known concerns around cookies. Cookies can be used to track web users across sites and build profiles that may then be sold on to any kind of buyer from advertisers and government agencies to criminals, without the subject’s knowledge or permission.
However, as we approached what should have been the final phase of the process and the end of third-party cookies for Google, concerns were raised over its proposed alternative. This prompted the company to announce last July that it won’t automatically deprecate third-party cookies after all.
Of course, cookies can be used to improve website functionality by enabling personalization. They help preserve users’ preferences, including topics of interest, and even the things they reserve in their baskets on e-commerce platforms. Cookies enhance the user experience on repeated visits and help target customers with relevant ads. But other single sign-on services, like OpenAthens, deploy cookies not to track personal information or target customers with products to purchase, but rather to provide a seamless user experience. Our cookies facilitate access to resources and help us remove barriers to knowledge for students and researchers around the globe.
That’s why at OpenAthens we’re monitoring the situation closely, because the pressure on Google to act on privacy concerns is not going away. We still foresee a future without third-party cookies and we are committed to fulfilling our mission to support organizations, librarians and publishers, wherever they are.
At the moment, however, the deprecation of third-party cookies should not be a concern for users of federated authentication systems. Most authentication flows, particularly those using SAML or OpenID Connect, should continue to work normally.
What’s less clear is what might happen when Google and others move forward with privacy preserving enhancements to their web platforms. For example, navigational tracking mitigations might impact the federated protocols we use today. These changes are still on the horizon and our experts are tracking them closely.
At OpenAthens, our teams will continue to be on top of developments. However, for now, there’s no cause for concern when it comes to authentication. And because OpenAthens provides a complete solution that encompasses federated approaches as well as managed proxy and other alternatives, librarians can be confident that we’ll always have a way to authenticate library patrons.
It’s a fast-changing situation, as Google’s shock announcement earlier this year proved. So, for now, keep an eye on our latest news and blogs. We’ll keep you updated and let you know what steps you need to take (and when) to make sure library users have seamless, safe access to the resources they need.
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Stay ahead of browser changes
Stay up to date on the evolving developments in browser changes with our resource hub.
With increasing concerns over user privacy, major browser companies are navigating legal and regulatory landscapes, driven by initiatives such as GDPR. Make this page your go-to destination, designed to keep you updated on changes that may affect us all.