You have heard "third-party cookies are going away" for years. Here is what actually happened, because the real story is now very different from the headlines, and it changes how urgently you should act.
What actually happened
- Google announced third-party-cookie deprecation, then repeatedly delayed it.
- In July 2024, Google said it would not force-deprecate them.
- In April 2025, it dropped the planned Chrome choice prompt.
- In October 2025, it wound down the Privacy Sandbox initiative, while Topics and Protected Audience continued in reduced form.
Key idea
So third-party cookies persist in Chrome for now. Identity diversification is a hedge, not an emergency. Build it deliberately, not in a panic, and be skeptical of any vendor still selling cookie-apocalypse urgency.
But Safari and Firefox already blocked them
Safari ITP and Firefox ETP have blocked third-party cookies for years. A large share of traffic is already cookieless, which is why identity (the previous lesson) still matters even though Chrome kept cookies.
Quick check
Are third-party cookies gone from Chrome in 2026?
Note
A clear "where we actually are on cookies in 2026" brief is the best way to lock this in, the facts move, the principle (diversify as a hedge) does not.