Yes, Facebook’s survival is tied directly to cookies. Not the sugary confections we will soon be offering up at the holiday office cookie exchange. Rather the kind of first-party cookie made of code that make users twitch over privacy concerns. Let’s identify the cookies that are at the heart of Facebook’s Cookie party. The Facebook cookies being served are cookies made of code, they are created to share data and for the purposes of this post they come in two varieties:
- First-Party Cookie – Cookie owned by the website the user is currently viewing.
- Third-Party Cookies – Cookies owned by a website other than the one the user is currently viewing.
What’s up with all the cookies?
Apple’s Safari and Mozilla’s Firefox internet browsers have both issued browser version within the last year that block third-party cookies. The third-party cookie blocking browsers were created to address government regulations on data privacy. Facebook, to keep from being blocked by third-party cookie blocking browsers, has now issued a first-party cookie. The first-party cookie option will allow advertisers, publishers, and developers to measure and optimize Facebook ads and capture analytics data from browsers that block third-party cookies. If you are currently using the Facebook Pixel to ad target customers, build custom audiencse and remarket your goods, you can continue on.
So basically First-Party Cookies share data, like info on the websites that I visit, and my actions taken on those websites?
Yep! You got! Hey, that might be okay with you. If your favorite store offers you a discount each time you visit, add an item to your cart but don’t complete the purchase … keep working the cookie system. If not, well it’s the Internet not the most private place in the world … play accordingly.
What does Facebook have to say?
Joe Osborne Facebook spokesperson shared, “We are offering a first-party cookie option for the Facebook pixel to help businesses continue understanding site activity and ad attribution across browsers. This change is in line with updates made by other online platforms, as the use of first-party cookies for ads and analytics is becoming the preferred approach by some browsers. The controls people have over ads will not change.”
I’m a facebook advertiser what does this mean for me?
Beginning on October 24th, 2018, the default option for Facebook pixels will be “Use the Facebook pixel with both first and third-party cookies” This is the recommend option if you use your Facebook pixel for advertising. Using both first and third-party cookies will enable you to reach more customers on Facebook and provide more accurate measurement and reporting. However, you may want to make a point of opt-ing out of the default is you are part of an industry that has extremely tight data restrictions such as medical or financial industries.
So what else do I need to know?
You can go ahead and review your Facebook’s first-party cookies for pixel options now. Now is also a great time to review your website’s Privacy Policy. In agreement with Facebooks terms, Facebook Pixel users must still disclose to users how they use cookies and share data collected.