Have you noticed that more sites than ever now seem to have a pop-up asking you to accept third-party cookies? Google Chrome has introduced a new secure-by-default cookie classification update to Version 80 launching February 17^th, 2020. While it significantly improves privacy and security in regards to cross-site cookies for all users, it may break some integrations that rely on these cookies, such as Salesforce or other plug-ins.  So, what can you do to prepare your site for these changes?

1.     Does your site use third-party or cross-site cookies?

The changes to Google Chrome will only impact cross-site cookies. If the cookies are same-site or first-party cookies, they remain secure and will not be impacted with this update. Per web.dev, same-site cookies are defined as, “cookies that match the domain of the current site, i.e. what’s displayed in the browser’s address bar, are referred to as first-party cookies.” They are often used to keep users logged in to the site, for analytics, and more.

2.     Have you updated your plug-ins and integrations for secure browser access?

For most plug-ins for modern sites, the default access is already set to HTTPS instead of HTTP, however, developers can double-check that is the case in the plug-in or third-party integration setup portals.

3.     Do you see any warnings in your Chrome developer tool console?

If you see any warnings in the developer tool console, it means that your third-party cookie has not been updated with the appropriate SameSite value. Only cookies set as “SameSite=None; Secure” will function properly on your site. All other cookies will be classified by default as “SameSite=Lax,” meaning that the cookie will be restricted to first-party only and all others will not function correctly.

Once you have updated all plug-ins for secure HTTPS access and updated any code to reflect the correct SameSite value, your site should be fully functional and more secure for you and your users than ever. If you’d like some assistance in ensuring that your site meets these updates, please feel free to reach out to our team.

For a more in-depth explanation, please review this incredibly informative video created by the Google Developer Team:

Interested in making your own app idea a reality? Please reach out and one of our specialists will create a custom quote after talking with you to learn more about your project!