Google abandons its initial plan to eliminate cookies in Chrome after four years of efforts and objections.
Google has decided to end its plan to eliminate cookies in its Chrome browser after four years of efforts, delays, and disagreements with the advertising industry. The decision comes after a series of setbacks and objections from both digital advertising companies and regulators.
Google Chrome users already have the option to block cookies in the browser settings. Now, instead of removing them, Google will present users with a prompt to decide whether they want to enable or disable cookies, according to the UK’s privacy regulator, which has been overseeing Google’s plan to block cookies.
According to information from The Wall Street Journal, this measure aims to facilitate the transition without significantly affecting the involved participants: the business and its advertising.
Anthony Chavez, vice president of Google’s Privacy Sandbox, an initiative to replace cookies, expressed in a blog post: “We recognize that this transition requires significant work from many participants and will impact publishers, advertisers, and all those involved in online advertising.”
“In light of this, we are proposing an updated approach that elevates user choice… We are discussing this new path with regulators and will engage with the industry as we implement it”, Chavez also said:
Google’s original plan to eliminate cookies was announced in 2020, indicating that it would do so within two years to protect users’ privacy while browsing the internet. However, advertisers objected, claiming that Google’s plan to replace cookies would force them to shift their spending to the search giant’s digital advertising products.
Chrome users will have more control over cookies, with the option to enable or disable them Chrome users will have more control over cookies, with the option to enable or disable them In 2021, UK regulators opened an investigation into whether the plan would negatively affect competition in digital advertising. According to the WSJ, amid the investigation, Google committed to collaborating with the regulator and giving the agency at least 60 days’ notice before removing cookies to review any plan and potentially impose changes.
As the investigation prolonged, Google’s timeline for eliminating cookies in 2022 began to be delayed. In April, The Wall Street Journal reported that the UK government’s Information Commissioner’s Office would issue a report criticizing Google’s proposed replacement technologies as deeply flawed. A few days later, Google announced it would delay the elimination of cookies beyond the last announced deadline, the end of this year.
In conclusion, Google’s strategy shift reflects the difficulty of balancing user privacy with the needs of the digital advertising industry.
“We are committed to providing a solution that keeps user choice at the center,” Chavez reaffirmed in his blog. This situation’s evolution will be closely watched by both regulators and market participants.
According to Google Developers, cookies are particularly used in remarketing and Google Analytics for ad publication and result tracking.
According to the same site, Google Ads and Campaign Manager’s conversion measurement functions also depend on these. For example, a cookie is added to a user’s device when they click on an ad, allowing the tracking of sales and other conversions.
In most cases, there is no need to modify the default cookie preferences in browsers. However, Google Developers clarifies that any adjustments to this element’s settings should be made based on the specific needs of the website in question.