Google Backpedals on Plan to Eliminate Third-Party Cookies in Chrome

Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:

After years of indecision on the issue of third-party cookies, Google has finally made a decision: on Monday, the company revealed that it would no longer pursue its plan to cut off support for third-party cookies in Chrome. Instead, Google played up other options that would hand more control of privacy and tracking to Chrome users.

As one alternative solution, Google touted its Privacy Sandbox, a set of tools in Chrome designed to help you manage third-party cookies that track you and deliver targeted ads. Google said that the performance of this tool's APIs would improve over time following greater industry adoption. That transition is likely to require a lot of effort by publishers, advertisers, and other participants, so Google has something else up its sleeve.

"In light of this, we are proposing an updated approach that elevates user choice," Google said in a Monday blog post. "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."

[...] Third-party cookies have proven to be a contentious issue in the browsing world.

Users see them as a privacy violation, as advertisers use such cookies to track their activities across the internet to serve targeted ads. Regulators worry about flaws in the privacy tools available to users. Meanwhile, websites and advertisers view these cookies as a revenue source, as they provide insight into users' habits and interests. With all these parties weighing in on Google's plans, it's no wonder the company was kicking the can down the road.

[...] In an email to ZDNET, Longacre said: "If you ask me, the decision means Google is finally admitting the alternatives to third-party cookies are worse for targeting and no better for consumer privacy. That said, it was ultimately combined pressure from three groups -- regulators, advertisers, and publishers - that influenced Google to make this decision, in my opinion."

Other browser makers have been able to cut off support for third-party cookies without issue.

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