Google Drops Plan to Remove Cookies from Chrome

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On July 22, 2024, Google announced that it will keep Third-Party Cookies in its Chrome browser.

The decision reverses a 2020 commitment to eliminate all Third-Party Cookies within two years, which was later postponed to another two years. The current announcement ends a four-year effort to replace cookies with other alternatives in order to protect users’ privacy. This decision was made after pushback from advertisers.

According to Google, Chrome users will have “a new path for privacy”: Chrome users will have the option to turn cookies on or off. But ultimately cookies remain within Chrome.

Some of Google's competitors such as Apple and Mozilla already block Third-Party Cookies by default for their respective browsers Safari and Firefox. Users can still activate cookies on those browsers.

Not sure if your website uses cookies? Scan your website for free and see what cookies, including Third-Party Cookies, your website uses:

Google's Plan to Remove Cookies

Third-party cookies are cookies set on a website by companies other than the owner of the website the user is browsing. They collect personal data, such as IP addresses, types of devices, emails, addresses, private information about health, sexuality, family, religious beliefs, and other.

Third-Party Cookies have been a principal tool in the digital advertising industry for over two decades. They are used for tracking users’ online activities and websites’ performance. The gathered data allows us to get data analytics and to provide targeted advertising and content personalization.

However, due to user privacy concerns about personal data collection, Google decided to phase out Chrome’s Third-Party Cookies.

Google had first announced its plans to phase out Third-Party Cookies in 2020.

The plan sparked concerns from advertisers, who said it would obstruct their ability to collect user data for personalized ads and would make them reliant on Google's user databases.

In 2022, the decision to remove cookies was delayed for another two years. Google said it needed more time to develop Google Privacy Sandbox, an alternative for Third-Party Cookies.

Alternatives to Third-Party Cookies

In August 2019, Google launched the Privacy Sandbox to provide safer alternatives to existing technology of using cookies. It introduced such methods as Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC) and Trust token API.

FloC was soon abandoned after concerns it would not protect privacy enough.

At the moment, Google offers the following privacy-preserving solutions:

  • CHIPS,
  • Storage Access API,
  • Related Website Sets, 
  • Federated Credential Management API.

However, all these alternatives are voluntary and depend on the willingness of advertisers to use them. Technical expertise is also needed to implement them.

It is expected that third-party cookies will continue to be the main technology for digital advertisers.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When is Google planning to phase-out of third-party cookies?

Google dropped out its plans to remove third-party cookies. On July 22, 2024, Google announced that it will keep third-party cookies in its Chrome browser. This ends a four-year effort to replace cookies with other alternatives. With CookieScript CMP, you can manage first-party and third-party cookies with ease, allowing your users to make an informed decision on cookie tracking.

What are alternatives to third-party cookies on Chrome?

At the moment, Google offers the following privacy-preserving solutions: CHIPS, Storage Access API, Related Website Sets, and Federated Credential Management API. However, all these alternatives are voluntary and depend on the willingness and technical expertise of advertisers to use them. Use CookieScript CMP to manage cookies and other alternatives on Chrome and other browsers.