Cookies: First-Party vs Third-Party
Cookies are small files a website stores on a visitor's device. Whether they are first-party or third-party affects both how they behave and how the law treats them.
This is general guidance to demystify the distinction.
The Difference
- First-party cookies are set by the site the visitor is on, often for essential functions.
- Third-party cookies are set by other domains, typically for advertising or cross-site tracking.
Why It Matters for You
Browsers increasingly block third-party cookies by default, and they raise the greatest privacy concerns. Relying on them for analytics or advertising is becoming less reliable as well as more regulated.
What to Do
- Audit which cookies your site sets and from where.
- Drop any third-party cookies you do not need.
- Gain consent before loading the rest.
- Favour privacy-friendly, first-party alternatives.
| Type | Typical use | Consent needed? |
|---|---|---|
| First-party essential | Login, basket | No |
| First-party analytics | Usage stats | Usually yes |
| Third-party | Ad tracking | Yes |
Frequently Asked Questions
Will blocking third-party cookies break my site?
Rarely. Essential functions usually rely on first-party cookies, so removing third-party ones mainly affects advertising and cross-site tracking rather than core features.
Are first-party cookies always exempt from consent?
No. Only those strictly necessary for a service the visitor requested are exempt; first-party analytics still generally need consent.
If you need a hand with any of this, your Progressive Robot delivery team is ready to help. Raise a ticket from the Support area of your client portal or speak to your account manager and we will guide you through the next steps.