First Party vs Third Party Cookies - What You Need to Know

First party vs third party cookies, who wins? In the early days of the Internet, cookies were easily understood pieces of code used to run a program on your computer. Today, most Internet cookies are still harmless, but some have caused a stir because of their intrusive nature.

What are First-Party Cookies?

First-party cookies primarily provide a smooth user experience on a website. They are created by the domain you visit, and contain information such as the data you enter and possibly your IP address.

Examples of first-party cookies are:

• The greeting cookie: It recognizes you when you visit a website and allows you to log in.
• The shopping cart cookie: Stores the products you place in your shopping cart.
• The recommendation cookie: Does product recommendations based on your preferences.

What are Third-Party Cookies?

Third-party cookies are created by external parties and not by the domain you directly visit. These cookies are primarily aimed at tracking your online behavior and showing you targeted advertisements.

They can have functions such as:

• Tracking: Tracking your behavior across websites.
• Retargeting: Referring you to websites with products that may interest you.
• Ad Presentation: Show personalized ads that match your interests.

How are Third-Party Cookies Made?

Third-party cookies are often the result of ad servers and other external entities seeking to understand your browsing behavior and respond accordingly. Companies such as Facebook , Google and other ad platforms exploit these cookies to present you with targeted ads or direct you to a specific landing page, with the goal of conversion.

The distinction between first-party and third-party cookies lies primarily in their origin and purpose. While the originating website produces exclusively first-party cookies, third-party sources may generate third-party cookies that enable cross-site tracking.

First Party vs Third Party Cookies: A Comparison

Let's look at the nuances between these two types of cookies:

First-party cookies are fairly targeted, linking your browser only to the Web site you are visiting. Their use rarely causes privacy concerns, which explains their universal acceptance by users.

In contrast, third-party cookies have no direct connection to visitors. In most cases, they are linked to advertisements and other tracking mechanisms. However, major browser developers, in response to privacy concerns, have announced that they will discontinue support for third-party cookies. More on this later.

Below is a table highlighting the key differences between first-party and third-party cookies:

Feature	First-Party Cookies	Third-Party Cookies
Who makes the cookies?	Originating from the website publisher. May be via JavaScript code or as part of the website server.	Often generated by external ad servers and ad platforms.
Where are cookies used?	Exclusively on the website she created.	Across several sites for cross-site tracking and targeted ads.
Who can read the cookie?	Just the original website.	Any domain that accesses the cookie.
When can the cookie be read?	If the user is active on the original website.	At any time, regardless of the website you visit.
What does my browser do with it?	Supported by all browsers. Users are given tools to manage them.	Depends on browser settings and privacy policies.

Third party cookies phasing out

Third-party cookies are being phased out. Although Google recently canceled its planned phase-out of third-party cookies, browsers such as Safari have been blocking them since 2003. Companies that want reliable and useful information about their users would therefore do well to switch to first-party data.

The rise of Server Side Tracking

The phase-out of third-party cookies is a major change that is forcing websites to switch to alternatives such as Server Side Tracking.

Server Side Tracking provides an alternative method of tracking user behavior without relying on traditional third-party cookies.

Server Side Tracking offers a number of advantages over third-party cookies, including better privacy protection and more reliable/more data.

Summary

While first-party cookies have a direct relationship with the domain you visit and are aimed at improving your user experience, third-party cookies are often more commercial in nature and intended for advertising purposes. In a world where Server Side Tracking is becoming increasingly dominant, it is essential to understand the role and operation of these cookies.