Cookies, especially third party cookies, have been a hot topic for some time. It has long been clear: an end to these tracking methods is inevitable. In the past, the browser manufacturers in particular have repeatedly spoken about possible measures with which they would like to prevent the setting of these cookies. So far, nobody has really gone into the implementation. It is therefore surprising that Apple will now take the first step with the Safari browser and will no longer offer an option for cross-site tracking with cookies in the future. The Safari browser thus protects the privacy of its users, but at the same time poses a major problem for advertisers.

Since 2017, Safari Browser has been using Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) to enable users to deactivate unwanted tracking – however, they previously had to set this themselves. With the update of the ITP, a preset blocking of third party cookies has now been introduced with exceptions that were previously in the ITP which has also become obsolete. The user will not notice much of this change, since some things have already been blocked. However, there are advantages in that, for example, the status of tracking prevention can no longer be misused for tracking and it is therefore no longer possible to understand the behavior of the user. Other measures that were used by creative advertisers as tracking methods should no longer work.

Safari is once again one of the pioneers here, putting other browser manufacturers under pressure. Google had announced at the beginning of the year that it wanted to implement this step for the Chrome browser in 2022 – a date that may now be reconsidered due to Apple’s Safari browser. At times when users often regard privacy protection as an important point, this could otherwise have a negative impact on the market share. At the same time, the marketing industry has to react and use other solutions where cookies are still used for tracking. A rethink is definitely required here at the latest!