Google has withdrawn its plan to eliminate third-party cookies in Chrome and will introduce a new browser experience that allows users to limit how these cookies are used.
See also: iPhone: How to delete cookies to enhance privacy?
Third-party cookies are small pieces of data created by a website that is different from the one you are visiting. These cookies are often used to track user behavior across multiple websites, allowing advertisers to deliver targeted content and ads based on your browsing habits. While they can improve your online experience by personalizing the content you see, they have raised significant privacy concerns .Many users are unaware of how these cookies work and how they share data with third parties, leading to ongoing discussions about user consent and data protection in the digital age. As a result, some browsers have begun to block third-party cookies by default, pushing for a shift towards privacy and user control over personal data.
As these cookies are generally considered a privacy risk, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union, which was released in 2018, required advertisers to obtain user consent before using third‑party cookies.
In 2019, Mozilla Firefox began blocking third-party cookies by default, followed by Apple Safari in 2020, dealing a huge blow to the advertising industry. Google has pledged to do the same in the future.
Google began phasing out third-party cookies in Chrome in Q1 2024, with a phase-out scheduled to end in Q1 2025.To replace third-party cookies, Google introduced Privacy Sandbox, which is supposed to be a more anonymous way of tracking a user's interests for advertising purposes.
See also: Chrome “Device Bound Session Credentials”: Hackers will not be able to use stolen cookies
However, advertising platforms and companies have been slow to move to the new Privacy Sandbox platform and many are still in beta testing.
Google now says that since the transition requires significant work and will impact publishers, advertisers , and any other company involved in online advertising, it is no longer phasing out third-party cookies. Instead, it plans to roll out a new experience in Google Chrome that allows users to limit the use of third-party cookies.
“In light of this, we are proposing an updated approach that increases user choices,” Google announced in a blog post by Anthony Chavez, vice president of Privacy Sandbox.
It's unclear what this "experience" will be, but it sounds like a global system , built into Chrome that allows users to opt in and out of third-party cookies.
Privacy supporters, such as the EFF, are dissatisfied with this decision, saying it shows how Google chooses profit over privacy.
The EFF recommends that users install the Privacy Badger browser extension , which helps block third-party cookies and other online tracking. Users can also use ad blockers like uBlock Origin to block trackers and ads .
See also: PayPal: Strengthening account security by detecting stolen super-cookies
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BleepingComputer contacted Google to learn more about this experience, but received no response.
Source: bleepingcomputer
