
Competition law — 20/02/2020
Taking a dive into Google’s Chrome cookie ban
Thought Paper Series
14 January 2020: After months of speculation, Google finally announced its plan to phase out third-party cookies on Chrome within the next two years. As Chrome boasts a worldwide market share in excess of 64%, the news sent shockwaves in the online advertising industry, whose foundations are largely built on web cookies. Concerns have been expressed that the banning of third-party cookies from Chrome could further strengthen Google and Facebook because of their large addressable first-party audience at scale. As to Google’s proposed “Privacy Sandbox” initiative, which it claims will “fundamentally enhance privacy on the web”, no one really knows how it will be implemented in practice and the industry seems to be confused. This uncertainty could hurt investment in an area that has already lost its attractiveness to investors.
Against this background, this short paper examines Chrome’s policy change and its wider implications on the online advertising industry. Yet in order to appreciate the importance of the announced change we need first to get back to the basics and understand what cookies are and how they are used in online advertising. This is all the more the case considering that, while many people talk about “cookies”, few seem to have a solid understanding of what they are, how they are created, and for which purpose.
Read the full paper here.
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Events and Sponsorship — 08/05/2025
Geradin Partners Sponsors ‘More Than Just a Game’ Conference in London for the Second Year
Geradin Partners is proud to sponsor the More Than Just A Game 2025 conference for the second time. Organised by Queen Mary University in London,… Continue
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Announcements — 06/05/2025
Tuomas Pöysti appointed to lead Geradin Partners’ Investigations and Cross-border Trade Practice
Geradin Partners is delighted to announce that Tuomas Pöysti, who has stepped down from his role as Chancellor of Justice of the Government of Finland,… Continue
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Announcements — 24/04/2025
Jan Vapaavuori joins Geradin Partners as Senior Counsel to strengthen regulatory and investment advisory
Geradin Partners is pleased to announce that Jan Vapaavuori will join the firm as Senior Counsel in May 2025. Vapaavuori has served as Mayor of Helsinki, Minister of Economic… Continue
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