Google Scraps Plan to Eliminate Third-Party Cookies in Chrome
Google has decided to drop the original plan of phasing out third-party tracking cookies in the Chrome web browser after more than four years since its introduction as part of a controversial proposal known as the Privacy Sandbox.
According to Anthony Chavez, the vice president of the initiative, the new approach in Chrome will provide users with an option to make an informed decision that will apply to their entire web browsing experience, allowing them to modify this choice at any moment, as he stated.
Discussion on this updated direction is ongoing with regulators, and industry engagement will take place during the implementation process.
This significant shift in policy comes nearly three months after the previous announcement by the company, indicating its intent to disable third-party cookies starting early next year, following multiple postponements, highlighting the tumultuous journey of the project.
While Apple’s Safari and Mozilla’s Firefox have already ended support for third-party cookies at the beginning of 2020, Google has faced challenges in discontinuing it due to its own significant role both as a web browser provider and an advertising platform, as reported.
Google’s attempt to strike a balance between online privacy and sustaining an ad-supported internet through the Privacy Sandbox has faced scrutiny from various stakeholders, including regulatory bodies, advertisers, and privacy advocates, leading to multiple iterations of the cookie-replacement technology over recent years.
Austrian privacy non-profit organization, noyb (none of your business), argued last month that the capability merely shifts control from third-parties to Google, potentially enabling user tracking without transparent and informed consent.
Meanwhile, Apple, which has implemented advanced tracking and fingerprinting protections within Safari, has expressed concerns about the Topics API, a key component of the Privacy Sandbox that categorizes users’ interests based on their browsing activities to serve personalized ads.
John Wilander from Apple highlighted the lack of upfront disclosure to users about the topics assigned by Chrome or the parties with access to this information, emphasizing the potential risks of user fingerprinting and cross-site profiling.
A detailed examination revealed vulnerabilities in the implementation process that could allow data brokers embedded in websites to track users’ evolving interests over time by frequently querying the Topics API and building detailed profiles by combining different data points.
“Consider the insights that advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence can derive from various combinations of interest signals,” Wilander mentioned. “What will the patterns reveal when entities engage in large-scale comparison and analysis across user segments?”
“We hold the view that the web should not expose such comprehensive information across various domains, and we oppose any facilitation of data collection or utilization by the browser or user agent,” he added.
Moreover, Privacy Sandbox has also encountered regulatory challenges amid concerns that the technology could provide Google an unfair market advantage in digital advertising and restrict competition, further complicating the deployment process.
Google’s latest move signifies an acknowledgment that reaching consensus across the industry for a unified solution is more complex than anticipated. The transition away from cookies demands substantial collaboration and will impact publishers, advertisers, and all participants in the online advertising ecosystem, the company acknowledged.
The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), closely monitoring Google’s alterations, announced it would assess the implications of the new strategy.
“Instead of eliminating third-party cookies from Chrome, a user-choice prompt will be introduced to enable users to decide whether to retain third-party cookies,” stated the CMA, as quoted. “The CMA will collaborate with the Information Commissioner’s Office to carefully review Google’s revised Privacy Sandbox approach.”
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