I thought I understood the difference between 1st and 3rd party cookies (1st party cookies track what you do on a website, while 3rd party cookies track what you do outside of it).
However, a client asked me to join a call with a company pitching a solution for identifying customers on their site. They claimed they could match users to an email address by saying, “if someone has your site open in one tab and their Gmail in another, we could see that.”
I pointed out that this sounded like a 3rd party cookie, but they disagreed. The client asked me to research further to confirm or refute their claim. Am I missing something about how they could do this without using 3rd party cookies?
When it comes to cookies, there are two main categories: first-party and third-party cookies. First-party cookies are set by the website I visit and are used to improve my user experience, such as remembering my login details, shopping cart items, and preferences. These cookies are only accessible to the domain that created them and are generally accepted as essential for a website to function properly. On the other hand, third-party cookies are set by a different website or domain, usually for advertising purposes, and can track my browsing behavior across multiple websites. These cookies are more controversial and often require consent before they can be used. The key differences between first-party and third-party cookies include who sets them, where they are used, and who can read them.
First-party cookies are set by the website you are currently visiting. They are used to enhance your experience on that specific website.
Example;
When you visit an online store like Amazon, it may use first-party cookies to remember your login details, shopping cart items, and preferences. These cookies are specific to Amazon’s domain and are not accessible by other websites.
Third-Party Cookies
Third-party cookies are set by domains other than the one you are visiting directly. These cookies are often used for advertising and tracking across different websites.
Example
Suppose you visit a news website that displays ads from an ad network (e.g., Google Ads). The ad network may set third-party cookies to track your browsing history and show relevant ads on various websites. These cookies are not under the control of the website you are visiting but rather by the ad network or analytics service.
Key Differences
First-party cookies originate from and are controlled by the website you are actively visiting, while third-party cookies originate from domains other than the one you’re directly interacting with.
First-party cookies are mainly used for improving user experience on a specific website (e.g., remembering login details), while third-party cookies are often used for tracking user behavior across different sites to deliver personalized ads and content.
The main differences between first and third -party cookies include: Setting the cookie : A first -party cookie is set by the publisher’s web server or any JavaScript loaded on the website. A third -party cookie can be set by a third -party server, such as an AdTech vendor, or via code loaded on the publisher’s website.
First-party cookies enhance your interaction on the website you’re visiting. For example, Amazon uses them to remember your login, shopping cart items, and preferences. These cookies stay within Amazon’s domain.
Third-party cookies come from domains different from the site you’re on. They’re often used for advertising and tracking across multiple websites.