Google won't be removing third-party cookies in Chrome after all, the company said Monday. Instead, it will introduce a new browser experience that will allow users to make informed decisions about their web browsing preferences, Google announced in a statement. According to Google, the elimination of cookies would negatively impact online publishers and advertisers. This announcement marks a significant shift from Google's previous plans to phase out third-party cookies by early 2025.
“We are proposing an updated approach that elevates user choice,” wrote Anthony Chavez, vice president of Google’s Privacy Sandbox initiative. “Instead of discontinuing third-party cookies, we would introduce a new experience in Chrome that allows people to make an informed choice that applies to all of their web browsing, and they could adjust that choice at any time. We are discussing this new path with regulators and will communicate with the industry as we roll it out.”
Google will now focus on giving users more control over their browsing data, Chavez wrote. This includes additional privacy controls such as IP protection in Chrome's Incognito mode and continued improvements to the Privacy Sandbox APIs.
Google’s decision comes as a welcome relief to advertisers and publishers who rely on cookies to target ads and measure performance. In recent years, the company’s plans to phase out third-party cookies have faced regulatory and enforcement hurdles. Google was initially set to phase out these cookies by the end of 2022, but the deadline was pushed back to the end of 2024 and then to the end of 2023 due to various challenges and feedback from stakeholders including advertisers, publishers and regulators such as the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
In January 2024, Google launched a new feature called Tracking Protection, which restricts third-party cookies by default for 1% of Chrome users globally. This move was seen as the first step towards phasing out cookies altogether. However, concerns and criticism about the readiness and effectiveness of Google’s Privacy Sandbox, a collection of APIs designed to replace third-party cookies, led to further delays.
The CMA and other regulatory bodies have over Google's Privacy Sandbox, fearing it could limit competition and give Google an unfair advantage in the digital advertising market. These concerns have led to longer review periods and additional scrutiny, complicating Google's timeline for phasing out third-party cookies. Shortly after Google's Monday announcement, the CMA x.com/CMAgovUK/status/1815465046689882274″ rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:said;cpos:8;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas” class=”link “> that it was “considering the impact” of Google’s change of direction.
