What is a Third-Party Cookie?

Third-Party Cookies are cookies that are set by a website other than the one you are currently on. Third-Party Cookies are usually used for advertising purposes and are placed on a website by adding scripts or tags. A third-party cookie is accessible on a website that loads the third-party server’s code. Online advertising is the most common use of Third-Party Cookies. By adding their scripts to a page, advertisers can track a user across many websites they visit and across devices.

Third-Party Cookies example

For example, Google Ads creates a third-party cookie to monitor which websites were visited by a user. When a user searches for a particular product, third-party cookies remember this. Later it is used to show you products that you previously searched for on a completely different website.

Are Third-Party cookies safe?

Cookies are not dangerous and will not infect your computer with harmful viruses or malware. However, third-party cookies can be considered a violation of privacy by some users. As you move from tab to tab of your browser, you are unwittingly transmitting information about your website visit history to other websites and parties. Closing the web browser doesn’t always eliminate the cookies your computer stores following the session.

One could ask: are third-party cookies actually useful for users? Third-party cookies actually are useful to consumers as they create advertisements that are in line with individual interests. Blocking third-party cookies does not mean that you will not see an advertisement. It means that you would see an inadequate advertisement.

Should I enable or disable Third-Party cookies?

Cookies could be enabled or disabled by changing website browser settings. Depending on the device, operating system, and the internet browser, there are different ways how to disable cookies. Read this article to know what are the advantages of using cookies, in what cases you should disable cookies, and the guides on how to disable them.

Are third-party cookies going away?

Google has announced that by the end of 2023 it will officially stop supporting Third-Party cookies on its Chrome browser. Data breaches and rising user concerns are two main reasons why Third-Party cookies are going away. Even though such cookies can help provide personalized ads for users, not everyone is satisfied with data tracking and that is why Google is taking this step into a cookieless future.

Read more what are the alternatives for the Third-Party cookies or scan your website for free to find out what if your website run third-party cookies: