- Google has further delayed the removal of third-party cookies from Chrome.
- This decision gives companies more time to prepare for the deletion of cookies following the refusal.
- Google plans to phase out cookies in 2025, subject to approval from the CMA and ICO.
Google is once again delaying the removal of third-party cookies on Chrome.
The company has delayed the rollout of the removal several times since announcing the change in January 2020. It cited industry and regulatory reluctance as “important considerations” behind the delay in a released statement Tuesday.
“We recognize that there are ongoing challenges related to reconciling divergent feedback from industry, regulators and developers, and we will continue to collaborate closely with the entire ecosystem,” a spokesperson said. from Google in a press release.
Third-party cookies are small data files stored on a user’s device. Companies use cookies to track consumers across websites and target them with advertisements. They also use the tool to check whether campaigns are working effectively.
In recent years, Google has joined companies like Apple and Mozilla in phasing out cookies to strengthen consumer privacy protections. Google has developed its Privacy Sandbox, a set of technologies intended to protect consumers while allowing businesses to advertise successfully.
But the path to get there was not easy.
Google relies on ads, and companies use cookies to target consumers and gauge whether ads are working. As the owner of the largest search engine, the tech giant faced backlash from companies considering removing the feature due to its impact on advertising.
In January, Google experimented with phasing out cookies for 1% of Chrome users, or about 30 million people. Various ad tech companies have said the new technology does not adequately compensate for lost cookie-related functionality.
Google also faced regulatory complications that prevented it from moving forward with the change. Google cannot eliminate third-party cookies in Chrome until the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is satisfied with the new technology and approves it as anti-competitive.
“It is also essential that the CMA is given sufficient time to review all evidence, including industrial test results,” a Google spokesperson said. “Which the CMA has asked market participants to provide by the end of June.”
Previously, the CMA said it was assessing the impact of the changes, which it expected to complete in mid-2024. Once it approves Privacy Sandbox technologies, Google will have to wait between 60 and 120 days before you can deactivate them. cookies.
“We welcome Google’s announcement clarifying the deprecation schedule for third-party cookies,” a CMA spokesperson told BI. “This will provide time to evaluate the industry test results and resolve any remaining issues.”
Google had initially said it wanted to phase out cookies by the end of 2024. The company said it now plans to start phasing out third-party cookies in Chrome in early 2025, subject to approval from the CMA and the UK’s privacy regulator, called the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
The ICO will work with Google and the CMA to ensure that the end of web cookies leads to beneficial privacy outcomes for web users, Stephen Almond, executive director of regulatory risk at ICO, told BI.
“Consumers benefit when companies meet data protection and competition law requirements,” Almond said.
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