GOOGLE SCRAPS PLAN TO REMOVE COOKIES FROM CHROME
1. Google is planning to keep third-party cookies in its Chrome browser, it said on Monday, after years of pledging to phase out the tiny packets of code meant to track users on the internet.
The significant shift comes amid concerns from advertisers, who are the company's primary revenue source. Advertisers worry that the elimination of cookies in the most popular browser will hinder their ability to gather data for ad personalization, making them reliant on Google's user databases.
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had also examined Google's plan, citing worries that it might stifle competition in digital advertising.
“Instead of removing third-party cookies, we will introduce a new feature in Chrome that allows users to make informed choices applicable across their web browsing and adjust those choices at any time,” said Anthony Chavez, vice president of Google’s Privacy Sandbox initiative, in a blog post.
Since 2019, Alphabet (GOOGL.O) has been developing the Privacy Sandbox initiative, which aims to enhance online privacy while supporting digital businesses, with a key objective being the gradual phase-out of third-party cookies.
Cookies are pieces of data that enable websites and advertisers to identify and track individual users' browsing habits, but they can also be used for intrusive surveillance.
In the European Union, cookie use is regulated by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which requires publishers to obtain explicit consent from users to store cookies. Major browsers also allow users to delete cookies on demand.
Chavez noted that Google is collaborating with regulators like the UK’s CMA and the Information Commissioner’s Office, as well as publishers and privacy advocates, on this new approach while continuing to invest in the Privacy Sandbox program.
The announcement has received mixed reactions.
“Advertisers will no longer have to abruptly stop using third-party cookies,” said eMarketer analyst Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf.
However, Lena Cohen, staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, expressed concern that cookies can lead to consumer harm, such as predatory ads targeting vulnerable groups. “Google’s decision to continue allowing third-party cookies, despite other major browsers blocking them for years, reflects their advertising-driven business model,” Cohen stated.
