Google is dropping its plans to deprecate third-party cookies in the Chrome browser. The search giant had originally said it would phase out third-party cookies by 2025. Google announced its change in plans in a Monday blog post, where Google said that it now plans to focus on “user choice.”
Instead of getting rid of third-party cookies entirely, Google says it will introduce “a new experience in Chrome,” designed to allow people to “make an informed choice” across their web browsing.
Early testing from ad tech companies, including Google, has indicated that the Privacy Sandbox APIs have the potential to achieve these outcomes. And we expect that overall performance using Privacy Sandbox APIs will improve over time as industry adoption increases. At the same time, we recognize this transition requires significant work by many participants and will have an impact on publishers, advertisers, and everyone involved in online advertising.
In light of this, we are proposing an updated approach that elevates user choice. Instead of deprecating third-party cookies, we would introduce a new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing, and they’d be able to adjust that choice at any time. We’re discussing this new path with regulators, and will engage with the industry as we roll this out.
In 2020, Google announced that it would phase out third-party cookie support in Chrome by 2022, a target date that the company obviously missed. Google was delayed due to complaints from advertisers as well as regulatory issues. Google’s “Privacy Sandbox” was intended to provide improved privacy for users while still providing tracking information. However, it looks like third-party cookies will continue to hang around for the foreseeable future.
Google had faced pressure from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) which had opposed Google’s plan to stop relying on third-party cookies, as it could limit competition in digital advertising. The CMA is currently reviewing a new plan submitted by Google for a user-choice prompt.
Google will continue to work on its Privacy Sandbox APIs, which the company claims will improve over time, to provide a private alternative to cookies. The search giant says it also intends to offer additional privacy controls, planning to introduce IP Protection into Chrome’s Incognito mode.
