Google Breaks “4-Year Promise” on Third-Party Cookies In Chrome

The Cookie Conundrum

For the uninitiated, cookies are small text files that websites store on your device to remember your preferences and track your online behavior. While they can enhance user experience by keeping you logged in or remembering your shopping cart, they’ve become a major privacy concern.

Third-party cookies, in particular, allow advertisers to track users across multiple websites, building detailed profiles of their online activities.

Privacy advocates have long criticized the use of these tracking cookies, arguing that they infringe on user privacy and can be used for invasive targeted advertising. This criticism has led to a push for more privacy-focused browsing experiences, with Apple’s Safari and Mozilla’s Firefox blocking third-party cookies by default since 2020.

Google’s Failed Cookie Jar

Google’s struggle to find a solution that balances regulatory requirements, user privacy, and its own business interests highlights the complexity of the issue.

The company’s Privacy Sandbox initiative, which aimed to develop privacy-preserving alternatives to cookies, has faced significant challenges and criticism.

“We’ve been working on this for years, but it’s clear that we need more time to get it right,” said a Google spokesperson. “We’re committed to finding a solution that works for everyone, but we can’t compromise on user privacy or the health of the open web.”

Google

A New Approach on the Horizon

In response to these challenges, Google has proposed a new approach that would allow users to choose between three options:

1. Traditional tracking cookies
2. Google’s Topics API, which aims to provide less granular targeting
3. A semi-private browsing mode

This proposal, however, still requires regulatory approval and has already faced criticism from privacy advocates. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has been particularly vocal, arguing that Google’s Privacy Sandbox initiative still allows advertisers to target users, just with a different methodology.

Privacy Sandbox might be less invasive than third-party cookies, but that doesn’t mean it’s good for your privacy. Instead of eliminating online tracking, Privacy Sandbox simply shifts control of online tracking from third-party trackers to Google. With Privacy Sandbox, tracking will be done by your Chrome browser itself, which shares insights gleaned from your browsing habits with different websites and advertisers

Apple Knew Google Would Backtrack And Its New Safari Advert Proves It

Adding fuel to the fire, Apple recently launched a campaign warning users that Chrome is constantly tracking them, promoting its own Safari browser as a more private alternative. This move has put additional pressure on Google to address privacy concerns and catch up with its competitors in the browser space.

“It’s becoming increasingly clear that Google’s business model is fundamentally at odds with user privacy,” said a privacy researcher who wished to remain anonymous. “They’re trying to square the circle, and it’s not working.”