A few years late, Chrome will finally block third-party cookies

After Safari And Firefox, Google’s browser is finally launching an anti-tracking measure. However, this will not concern everyone at first.

Third-party cookies allow entities outside the websites you visit to collect data about your browsing, which they can then use for advertising purposes. This is a practice that has become very common, but which raises a multitude of concerns regarding the protection of Internet users’ data.

Fortunately, their times are numbered, even on Google Chrome.

Seven years late

It’s been a few years since the Mountain View firm announced the end of this practice. However, as an advertising giant that it is, it had to find an alternative while ensuring a smooth transition for advertisers, who are none other than its biggest clients. As a result, Google has fallen behind in developing new technologies, meaning the company lags behind others in the market when it comes to blocking third-party cookies.

Indeed, Apple launched its “ intelligent tracking prevention » from 2017 on Safari. A year later, it was Firefox’s turn to follow suit, becoming the second web browser to block third-party cookies by default. Chrome therefore remains a haven of peace for the latter, which is not so annoying for them when we know that Google’s browser is the undisputed market leader.

At least, that will still be the case for a few months. The American company has just announced that it will block third-party cookies by default from next year. The change will be gradual, and only a few users will have access to the feature on desktop and Android.

A smooth transition until the second half of 2024

Starting January 4, 2024, Google will randomly select Internet users to deploy its blocker, and only 1% of them worldwide should be affected. The lucky ones will be informed of the update, and Chrome will offer them the possibility of deactivating the functionality, especially if it causes navigation problems on certain websites.

The company’s objective is to carry out experiments with a view to a more general deployment by the second half of 2024. Advertisers have been warned for several years of the imminent disappearance of third-party cookies, and it has been a few months since the Privacy Sandbox has arrived on Chrome. Google’s decision could therefore be a sign that the sector is finally ready to make the transition.

However, things could quickly take a completely different turn. Indeed, the British competition watchdog is wary of the new technologies developed by the American firm to replace cookies. He fears that this would benefit his own advertising services, which would not help a monopoly situation which has already been a problem for several years.

Source : The Verge