Google Plans to Prioritise User Choice Instead of Deprecating Third-Party Cookies on Chrome

Google says it will allow users to make an “informed choice” applicable across their web browsing, instead of eliminating third-party cookies.

Written by Shaurya Tomer, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 23 July 2024 16:23 IST

Google Plans to Prioritise User Choice Instead of Deprecating Third-Party Cookies on Chrome

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Arkan Perdana

In 2020, Google announced plans to phase out third-party cookies on Chrome by 2022

Highlights

Google announces it will not deprecate third-party cookies on Chrome
It plans to introduce a “new experience” for users on the web browser
It will also offer additional privacy controls including IP Protection

Google Chrome announced a new approach to handling third-party cookies on Monday. With this move, it no longer has plans to deprecate them. Instead, Google says it will allow users to make an “informed choice” which can be adjusted at any time while browsing on the web. This development comes as a major modification to the technology conglomerate's original plan of phasing out third-party cookies entirely, which it announced in 2020 but has since been pushed back due to flak from other parties.

Third-Party Cookies on Google Chrome

In a blog post, Google emphasised its new strategy for dealing with third-party cookies. The company proposed an updated approach by revealing plans to introduce a “new experience” to Chrome. As per the company, it is currently in discussions with regulators before it rolls it out.

With this move, it would allow users to make an “informed choice” which will be applicable across their web browsing experience, instead of completely eliminating its dependency on third-party cookies.

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Google first announced plans in 2020 to phase out third-party cookies by 2022. However, due to flak from advertisers and facing regulatory issues, the plans were delayed multiple times, with the latest timeline suggesting third-party cookie deprecation by Q1 2025. At the time, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had thwarted Google's proposed move, stating that its Privacy Sandbox could potentially limit the competition.

Following the latest announcement, CMA says it is reviewing Google's new approach to third-party cookies and its impact. It is also inviting public views on the matter till August 12.

IP Protection

In addition to abandoning plans for phasing out third-party cookies, Google also announced that it will offer additional privacy controls to users, starting with “IP Protection” in Chrome's Incognito Mode.

As per the company, it will anonymise users' IP addresses and mask it from being used by web-wide cross-site tracking third parties. It will stop a destination origin from seeing the user's original IP address and ensure that the content between the client and the destination origin cannot be accessed by proxy and network intermediaries.

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Further reading: Google Chrome, Google Chrome cookies, Google Chrome Privacy Sandbox

Shaurya Tomer

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Shaurya Tomer is a Sub Editor at Gadgets 360 with 2 years of experience across a diverse spectrum of topics. With a particular focus on smartphones, gadgets and the ever-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI), he often likes to explore the industry's intricacies and innovations – whether dissecting the latest smartphone release or exploring the ethical implications of AI advancements. In his free time, he often embarks on impromptu road trips to unwind, recharge, and ...More