Google abandons plan to remove third-party cookies from Chrome
Google Chrome on Monday announced a new approach to handling third-party cookies, a move that moves it away from plans to do away with them. Instead, Google says it will allow users to make an “informed choice” that can be adjusted at any time while browsing the web. The development comes as a significant change from the tech conglomerate’s original plan to phase out third-party cookies entirely, which it announced in 2020 but has since postponed amid criticism from outside parties.
Third party cookies on Google Chrome
In a blog afterGoogle highlighted its new strategy for dealing with third-party cookies. The company outlined an updated approach by revealing plans to introduce a “new experience” in Chrome, which it said is currently in discussions with regulators before rolling out.
This move will allow users to make an “informed choice” that applies to their entire internet browsing experience, rather than eliminating reliance on third-party cookies altogether.
Google first announced plans to phase out third-party cookies by 2022 in 2020. However, advertiser criticism and regulatory concerns led to multiple delays in the plans, with the latest timetable suggesting third-party cookies would be phased out in the first quarter of 2025. At the time, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had blocked Google’s planned move, arguing that the Privacy Sandbox could potentially restrict competition.
After the last announcement, CMA say it looks at Google’s new approach to third-party cookies and its impact. It also invites the public to share their thoughts on the matter until August 12.
IP protection
In addition to abandoning plans to phase out third-party cookies, announced that it will offer users additional privacy controls, starting with “IP protection” in Chrome’s incognito mode.
According to the company, it will anonymize and mask users’ IP addresses so that they cannot be used by web-wide cross-site tracking third parties. It will prevent a destination origin from seeing the original user’s IP address and ensure that content between the client and the destination origin is not accessible to proxies and network intermediaries.
