Google Cancels Chrome Cookie Removal Plan

Google announced on Monday that it will keep third-party cookies in Chrome after years of promising to remove them

The significant reversal is the result of concerns from advertisers, the company’s primary source of revenue, who have expressed that the loss of cookies in the world’s most popular browser will restrict their capacity to collect information for personalizing advertisements, thereby requiring them to rely on Google’s user databases.

The Competition and Markets Authority of the United Kingdom also examined Google’s proposal due to its potential to impede competition in the digital advertising sector.

Anthony Chavez, vice president of the Google-backed Privacy Sandbox initiative, stated in a blog post that, rather than deprecating third-party cookies, a new experience in Chrome would be introduced to allow users to make an informed decision that would apply to their entire web browsing experience. Additionally, users would have the ability to modify their choices at any time.

The Privacy Sandbox initiative, which the Alphabet unit has been pursuing since 2019, is designed to support digital businesses and improve online privacy. One of the primary objectives is to eliminate third-party cookies.

Cookies are data packets that enable websites and advertisers to monitor the browsing habits of individual web users and identify them. However, they can also be employed for unintended surveillance.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union regulates the use of cookies, requiring publishers to obtain explicit consent from users to store their cookies. Deleting cookies on command is also available in most major browsers.

Chavez stated that Google collaborated with publishers, privacy organizations, and regulators, including the UK’s CMA and Information Commissioner’s Office, to develop the new approach. Additionally, the company was maintaining its investment in the Privacy Sandbox program.

The announcement elicited mixed reactions.

Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf, an eMarketer analyst, stated that advertising stakeholders will no longer be required to prepare to discontinue third-party cookies abruptly.

Lena Cohen, a staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, stated that cookies can harm consumers, such as evil advertisements targeting vulnerable groups.

“Google’s decision to continue allowing third-party cookies, despite other major browsers blocking them for years, is a direct consequence of their advertising-driven business model,” Cohen stated in an official statement.