Third-Party Data Collection and the Decline of Third-Party Cookies
Ad networks long used third-party cookies to track users across sites. Market and regulatory changes are shrinking this: the CPRA (effective January 2023) requires notice and an opt-out for third-party cookies, and Edge, Firefox, and Safari blocked them by default by end of 2022.
How this supports CIPP/US study
Use this lesson to identify the legal source, actor, data and activity before applying a rule to a scenario. Continue with the CIPP/US study guide.
Ad networks historically set third-party cookies on devices to observe a user's activity across many sites and serve targeted ads. This is shrinking due to EU legal challenges, the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), and browser changes. The CPRA, effective January 2023, requires notice and an opt-out right for third-party cookies. By end of 2022 Edge, Firefox, and Safari blocked third-party cookies by default, with Chrome announcing it was in the process.
Note the mechanism: the CPRA requires notice and an OPT-OUT right for third-party cookies - consistent with the broader U.S. opt-out tradition rather than an EU-style opt-in consent.
Key terms - quick answers
What is “California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA)”?
Sources and study method
This independent lesson uses active recall, spaced retrieval and scenario practice. Read the full study method.