Google has scrapped plans to prevent advertisers from tracking Chrome's 3 billion users.
Google said Monday it plans to keep third-party cookies in its Chrome browser — small pieces of online data that advertisers use to serve ads — after years of pledging to phase out the tiny bundles of code that are meant to track users online.
The decision comes after concerns from advertisers (the company's biggest source of income) who said the loss of cookies in the world's most popular browser would limit the ability to collect information to personalize ads, making them dependent on Google's user databases.
“Instead of turning off third-party cookies, we’re introducing a new Chrome experience that lets people make an informed choice about their web browsing, and they can change that choice at any time,” said Anthony Chavez, vice president of the Google-backed Privacy Sandbox initiative.
Since 2019, Google has opened a new tab unit working on the Privacy Sandbox initiative, which aims to enhance online privacy while supporting digital companies, with the main goal of phasing out third-party cookies.
In the European Union, the use of cookies is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which requires publishers to obtain explicit consent from users to store their cookies. Major browsers also offer the option to delete cookies on request.
Chavez said Google is working with regulators, such as the UK's Financial Markets Authority and the Information Commissioner's Office, as well as publishers and privacy groups on the new approach, while continuing to invest in the Privacy Sandbox program.
Cookies can lead to consumer harm, said Lena Cohen, a technology expert at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
“Google’s decision to continue to retain third-party cookies, despite other major browsers blocking them for years, is a direct result of its advertising-based business model,” it said in a statement.