Google backtracks on promise to ditch user-tracking cookies from its Chrome browser

So-called “third-party” cookies come from the sites visited and not from the browser itself, to target Internet users with personalized advertising.

Google was set to drop user-tracking cookies on its Chrome browser starting this summer, but the online search giant announced a reversal Monday, July 22, after years of resistance from online publishers and questions from authorities.

Cookies are computer files that allow tracking users’ browsing on the web. So-called “third-party” cookies come from the sites visited and not from the browser itself, to target Internet users with personalized advertising.

Instead of removing third-party cookies as planned, Google will “implementing a new experience in Chrome that will allow Internet users to make an informed choice, which will apply to all of their web browsing”said Anthony Chavez, a Google vice president, in a blog post.

The proposal is subject to approval by regulatory authorities, including in the UK and the European Union, which have opened investigations into the proposed new practice.

The American group clarified that it is not abandoning the “Privacy Sandbox”, its initiative launched in early 2020 to replace cookies and facilitate advertising targeting without tracking users individually. It plans to continue to make it available to third-party websites.

Website publishers that rely on cookies for advertising revenue are pushing back against their abandonment. They say the proposed “Privacy Sandbox” risks strengthening Google’s dominance, since the company holds mountains of data on consumer behavior that will be denied to others.