Third-Party Cookies are Being Phased Out by Google Chrome

For certain users of its Chrome web browser, Google has begun the process of restricting the cookies that are provided by third-party websites.

AFP reports that this new move is the first stage in the tech giant’s declared intention to eventually phase out these cookies, which have been a source of privacy concerns among internet users for a considerable amount of time prior to this development.

Google Eliminating Third-Party Cookies

A growing emphasis on user privacy and the necessity to address the potential misuse of tracking technology were brought to light by the announcement made by the corporation that it intends to eradicate third-party cookies by the year 2020.

Google accepts that the consent of Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is required in order to totally eliminate third-party cookies. The CMA is presently investigating the potential ramifications that such a move could have on other businesses.

According to the approach that Google has detailed, the introduction of a restriction on third-party cookies has begun for one percent of Chrome users. This restriction is an initial phase that is being used for testing purposes.

Beginning in the third quarter of 2024, the business intends to gradually expand this restriction to all customers with the intention of reaching one hundred percent of them. By taking this stepwise approach, Google is able to assess the impact and functionality of the constraints while simultaneously addressing any potential difficulties that may arise.

Third-party cookies are little files that are used for targeted advertising through the tracking of site traffic. These cookies have become subject to heightened regulatory scrutiny after they were first introduced.

These regulations, which include the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union, which went into effect in 2016, as well as the privacy regulations of the state of California, have contributed to the ever-changing landscape of data protection.

A system known as Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC) has been under development by Google in order to provide an alternative to cookies installed by third parties. FLoC operates by classifying users into audience groups called as cohorts, which might consist of hundreds or thousands of individuals who share similar interests or habits. This is in contrast to tracking individual users.

It is the goal of this method to strike a balance between concerns regarding privacy and the ability of advertising to target appropriate audiences.

Tracking Protection in Google Chrome

The Vice President of Privacy Sandbox at Google, Anthony Chavez, underscored the company’s ongoing commitment to improving the privacy of users on the internet through ongoing work. The Privacy Sandbox program has taken a significant step forward with the launch of Tracking Protection, a feature that is intended to restrict cross-site tracking by default.

It is possible for developers to verify their readiness for a web environment that does not contain cookies from third parties by using the phased approach. Google acknowledges the significance of third-party cookies in providing a variety of online experiences, including logins and targeted advertisements, which have been around for a long time.

In its statement, the business says that its strategy for phasing out these cookies is responsible for giving developers with a transition period and enabling new capabilities for websites that support essential use cases.

Random selection is used to choose participants for the Tracking Protection function, and those who are selected will receive a notification when they open Chrome on a desktop computer or an Android device. Users will be able to prohibit third-party cookies by default as they navigate the web, which will reduce the ability to track actions across a variety of websites.

In the event that a website experiences problems with its functionality when third-party cookies are not present, Chrome will provide users with the opportunity to temporarily re-enable cookies for that particular website. This strategy seeks to strike a compromise between protecting users’ privacy and ensuring that websites that rely on cookies continue to function normally.

“As we work to make the web more private, we’ll provide businesses with tools to succeed online so that high quality content remains freely accessible – whether that’s news articles, videos, educational information, community sites or other forms of web content,” Chavez stated in a statement on his website.