Google has decided to keep third-party cookies in its Internet browser after promising for years to remove them.
In an announcement on its blog, the internet company said it would “no longer delete third-party cookies.”
Instead, Google promised to introduce a new feature to its Internet browser that “empowers users to make an informed choice that applies to their entire web browsing experience.”
There is currently no specific timetable for when these changes will take place.
Everyone has visited a website with a banner asking if you accept cookies, but what does it all mean?
What are cookies ?
In the context of the Internet, cookies are small text files stored in your Internet browser (other examples, besides Chrome, include Firefox and Safari). or device when you access a website.
They are used to identify your browser and/or device and track certain aspects of your online behavior.
The idea is to help a website collect information about you in order to make the website more useful to you – and that often includes showing you ads that are targeted to you.
The personal data that a cookie could contain could be:
- Website Name
- Browsing habits and history
- Personal Preferences and History
- Your IP address
- Phone number and address
- Clicked links
- Cart items
There are several types of internet cookies, but Google wanted to eliminate third-party cookies.
What are third-party cookies used for?
Third-party cookies are primarily used to track a user’s activity across websites and use that information for third-party personalized advertising.
Google uses third-party cookies for advertising purposes, including to serve and personalize ads.
Depending on your settings, other Google-related services like YouTube may also use these cookies for advertising purposes.
This means that things like more relevant results and recommendations, a personalized YouTube homepage, and ads tailored to your interests will appear as you browse.
International websites are asking you to “accept cookies” due to a privacy law enacted in 2018.
The European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires all multinational companies to provide an opt-in option, failure to comply with which can result in fines.
Australia does not require consent for cookies.
Why was Google going to remove third-party cookies?
Due to increasing public criticism regarding privacy issues.
Google responded by promising to “Charting the Path to a More Privacy-Focused Web”.
The initial plan was unveiled in 2020 and was to phase out third-party cookies by the end of 2022.
In a blog post in 2021Google’s director of product management, privacy and trust in ads said the decision was due to growing user distrust:
“As our industry strives to deliver relevant advertising to consumers across the web, it has created a proliferation of individual user data across thousands of companies, typically collected through third-party cookies,” he said.
The company began working on an initiative called Privacy Sandbox, which promised to create innovations to protect user privacy while “delivering results for advertisers and publishers.”
At the time, Google said it would phase out third-party cookies by 2023.
But the deadline has been extended three times.
The latest delay pushed the deadline back to 2025 before ultimately abandoning that plan this week.
Is it safe to accept third-party cookies?
It depends on the website.
When deciding whether to accept third-party cookies, internet security company Norton recommends considering who is accessing the data and what they might do with it.
He warns that if you accept third-party cookies on a website, that website may sell your data to third parties and you have no choice or knowledge of who owns it.
It is not recommended to accept cookies on unencrypted websites or if the site has been flagged as suspicious by your antivirus software.
However, some website owners may not allow you to use their site if you do not accept cookies.