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Google has decided to keep third-party cookies in its Chrome browser, reversing its long-anticipated plan to phase them out. The company’s revised strategy focuses on enhancing user choice rather than eliminating third-party cookies outright.
The Silicon Valley giant plans to introduce a “new experience in Chrome” that will empower users to make informed decisions about their web browsing preferences, with the flexibility to adjust these settings.
The company is actively engaging with regulators, including the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), to discuss this new approach. While specific details remain scarce, Google has emphasised the importance of privacy-preserving alternatives for developers.
“This feedback has helped us craft solutions that aim to support a competitive and thriving marketplace that works for publishers and advertisers and encourage the adoption of privacy-enhancing technologies,” said Anthony Chavez, VP, Privacy Sandbox at Google.
Despite the decision to keep third-party cookies, Google reassures those invested in cookie alternatives that their efforts are not in vain. The Privacy Sandbox, a set of APIs designed to improve online privacy while supporting an ad-funded internet, will remain a focal point of Google’s strategy.
The Sandbox will also integrate additional privacy controls, such as IP masking in Chrome’s Incognito mode.
This new direction could prove beneficial if it leads to many users opting out of third-party cookies. This scenario would make the Sandbox’s APIs more effective in targeting users without relying on cookies. This approach mirrors Apple’s introduction of App Tracking Transparency (ATT), which allowed users to control their data-sharing preferences, reports Digiday.

Google’s decision coincides with positive results from recent tests of Privacy Sandbox alternatives. These tests, conducted from January to March, indicated a substantial recovery in advertiser spend and return on investment (ROI) when using Google Display Ads and Display & Video 360, even without third-party cookies. The results suggested that Privacy Sandbox technologies could help maintain ad performance, though these findings are still preliminary.
Despite the promising test results, the transition has been challenging. Publishers have expressed frustration with the limited scale of Sandbox testing, which has hindered their ability to draw definitive conclusions. The delay in deprecating third-party cookies has led some publishers to halt their investments in Sandbox testing altogether, citing concerns over latency issues and potential ad revenue losses.
“As this moves forward, it remains important for developers to have privacy-preserving alternatives. We’ll continue to make the Privacy Sandbox APIs available and invest in them to further improve privacy and utility. We also intend to offer additional privacy controls, so we plan to introduce IP Protection into Chrome’s Incognito mode,” concluded Chavez.
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