Google plans to phase out third-party cookies in Chrome by the end of 2024, in response to increasing concerns about user privacy. Testing started in January 2024, with third-party cookies restricted for 1% of Chrome users worldwide. Google plans to expand these restrictions to more Chrome users over time. 

This change will pose challenges for advertisers, especially when it comes to tailoring ads based on collected data. Here’s how it will impact your tracking and tag management in Piwik PRO:

1. Your web tracking won’t be affected as Piwik PRO only uses first-party cookies. Once Google makes the change, you won’t see any difference in collecting data from Chrome users. For more about cookies in Piwik PRO, see this article.

2. Some of the scripts, such as a Meta pixel or Google tag (gtag.js), that you’ve added through our Tag Manager may not function as expected because they rely on third-party cookies. This could lead to issues like incorrect campaign displays and difficulties in collecting campaign data. These scripts depend on third-party cookies, so their behavior is controlled by the vendor providing them. It’s up to those companies to develop alternative solutions for their pixels and tracking tags.

Here are some things you could do to navigate third-party cookie restrictions:

• Set up your Meta pixel to only rely on first-party cookies.
• Export goal conversions from Piwik PRO to Google Ads. This is an alternative method of collecting campaign data when the tracking tag is unable to do so.
• Export goal conversions from Piwik PRO to Microsoft Ads. This is a way to collect campaign data when the tracking tag can’t do it.
• Start using Data Activation to activate your data in leading marketing tools and use it to send targeted emails, display personalized ads and more.