After delaying the removal of third-party cookies from its signature Chrome browser, Google broke the news on Monday that it would not be removing the data files after all.
In a blog post On Monday, written by Google Privacy Sandbox VP Anthony Chavez, Google explained that in order to “support a competitive and thriving marketplace that works for publishers and advertisers,” the company will not remove cookies, which are a key resource of user information to advertisers seeking to deliver targeted advertising.
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Instead, the company will offer users a new privacy security option that is still being developed and approved.
“In light of this, we are proposing an updated approach that increases user choice,” Chavez explained. “Instead of invalidating third-party cookies, we're introducing a new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies to their entire web browsing, and they'll be able to adjust that choice at any time.”
In 2020, Google announced it it would kill cookies by 2022 and has been working on it ever since.
In December 2023, Chavez indicated that the Privacy Sandbox initiative was working in “Remove cookies” from Chrome and instead work to implement Tracking Protection (a feature that automatically limits cookies) for a small number of Chrome users with the original plan to eliminate all third-party cookies from Chrome delayed several times and was recently stated to be by the end of 2025.
“Third-party cookies have been a fundamental part of the Internet for nearly three decades,” a Google blog post read. “While they can be used to track your website activities, sites have also used them to support a variety of online experiences — like helping you log in or showing you relevant ads.”
Cookies are essentially text packets of data based on user behavior that advertisers and publishers use to create content and ads that are best suited to what they would be interested in. However, if this data falls into the wrong hands, it can also be used for surveillance and advertising. it would be a breach of personal information.
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Google's parent company, Alphabet, is expected to report its fiscal second quarter 2024 earnings after the bell on Tuesday.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Alphabet it was upstairs 50% in a period of one year.