How often have you been shopping on a website or scrolling through an account just for an “accept cookies” pop-up to halt your search? You’ve probably clicked “accept all cookies” just to return to what you were doing. Now, imagine, as a business owner, these popping up for your customers on your website without your consent. With advancements like cloud technology for remote work, businesses can better manage their data and mitigate cookie-related risks.
It’s important to understand the risks of third-party cookies for businesses. If you’ve willingly implemented cookies onto your website, you’re probably wondering what’s so bad about them. Below, we’ll explain the difference between your first-party cookies and the third-party cookies crashing your website and why Google is finally phasing out the latter.
First-Party vs. Third-Party Cookies
While both types of cookies primarily use JavaScript to add and modify HTML elements, create online user-friendliness, and allow for more website interaction, first-party cookies do so to increase customer satisfaction.
First-party cookies, produced by the host domain, improve a customer’s time on your website by taking only fundamental data such as their IP address and any data they entered while on your page. This includes user names, passwords, recently browsed content, and shopping cart information. In return, regular customers receive a personalized and unique experience on the site every time.
However, while third-party cookies may also have good intentions, controversy surrounds their privacy concerns. These cookies originate from external sources, such as social media platforms or advertisers tracking users’ activities across the web. Leveraging cloud technology for remote work helps businesses centralize operations and safeguard against such invasive tracking mechanisms.
Why Are Third-Party Cookies Risky?
The risks of third-party cookies for businesses stem from the fact that they don’t stop at collecting basic information. Instead, they take it one step further, learning the following:
- Age
- Gender
- Payment types and card numbers
- Occupation and income
- And more
Collecting personal information is an intrusive step that causes many online searchers to feel exposed and vulnerable, especially since the advertisers did not receive permission to learn or store this data. These cookies don’t just create detailed user profiles; many people may experience security issues with third-party cookies since their creators may want to steal information or launch malware.
Business risks with cookies like these are also plausible. Suppose users realize the information stolen happened on your website, and there aren’t any implications of third-party cookies being present. In that case, your company’s trustworthiness and brand name are at stake.
What Is the Future of Third-Party Cookies?
Search engines like Apple’s Safari and Mozilla have long noticed and eradicated third-party cookie vulnerabilities by blocking them. However, since Google Chrome is responsible for 63% of all global web traffic and still allows third-party cookies, cookie tracking risks remain significant.
That’s why Google is now phasing it out. This means advertisers must find a safer way to reach out to online searchers, lowering the risks of third-party cookies for businesses. Cloud technology for remote work can play a pivotal role in ensuring that businesses adapt to this change while maintaining robust data security practices.