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The cookie is finally crumbling for Safari with the launch of ITP 2.1

Written by 1 minute read

Apple have just released ITP2.1 in beta with the main change restricting first-party cookies to a 7 day window.

Apple’s most recent developments see the latest iteration of Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) pushed in to the beta versions of their software. The release was announced on webkit.org and details the full changes in ITP2.1. No indication has been given on a release date.

The main change Apple has introduced is a restriction on first-party cookies, limiting their lifespan to a maximum of 7 days. Apple cites that these changes are driven by privacy, security and performance.

Awin is carrying out an impact analysis of these changes. It is known that most Safari sales convert within 7 days so we expect the effect to be minimal but nevertheless, it’s clear that 1st party cookie tracking alone will be insufficient in ensuring the affiliate channel is fully protected from ITP. The ITP compensation tool will help ensure publishers are not left out of pocket as a result of this but further updates to tracking will be required to mitigate the full impact.

It has been clear for some time that Safari would continue to tighten control over cookies. Having anticipated this, Awin has been actively working with advertisers to adopt our server to server tracking solution. In addition, Awin has integrated directly with Advertisers’ APIs to speed up server to server integrations whenever possible. Awin’s infrastructure allows easy connection with advertisers’ technology, the plan is to develop this further.

Finally, realising that 25% of our advertiser base is using five eCommerce platforms, we’re developing server to server plugins to ensure faster adoption, helping to make tracking even more robust alongside the Awin MasterTag. 

Awin will continue to keep you informed as more information becomes available and we conduct a full assessment of how this will affect both advertisers and publishers.