GOOGLE has announced it will begin phasing out third-party cookies in its Chrome browser by mid 2024 – but it could break your favourite websites.
Third-party cookies are essentially all the data that is scraped together from websites – like shopping, news, and social media – for things like cross-site tracking and personalised ads.
GettyAnd while privacy-focused users are treading lightly, it stamps a big red question mark over businesses web profits[/caption]
This so-called ‘Tacking Protection’ plan has been in the works for some time.
But it won’t happen for everyone, all at once.
Google has announced that it will happen in scheduled phaseouts.
The first step will see Google turn off third-party cookies by default for a subset of global Chrome users starting January 4, 2024, as a form of test.
This group will be about one per cent of Google Chrome’s user base.
Google explains that some sites may not function properly without third-party cookies just yet.
If a website won’t load or is experiencing issues, users will be able to turn third-party cookies back on temporarily for 90 days – only for that particular site.
Third party cookies aren’t all bad – they can help remind web browsers of products they were previously looking for, and they make for effective marketing campaigns.
But the data profile that is created of you can get pretty personal – which is why it has gotten a bad rep from privacy campaigners.
The decision aims to put people’s data and browsing habits back within their control – but Chrome users aren’t quite sure what to think of it.
And while privacy-focused users are treading lightly, it stamps a big red question mark over businesses web profits.
“You actually believe that? lol knowing Google for sure there must be something sketchy about this,” one user wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Another said: “Only Google tracking allowed.”
A third onlooker tweeted: “Yeah by selling more information about you.”
Google Chrome – what you need to know
Here’s a quick guide…
Google Chrome is a web browser created by Google
It’s cross-platform, which means it works on a range of systems including Microsoft Windows and Apple’s iOS
The browser also serves as the main part of Chrome OS – Google’s own operating system
Most of Chrome’s code comes from Chromium, an open-source project built by Google
Google Chrome is Google’s general-release browser based on Chromium, but anyone can build a Chromium app
The full Google Chrome browser is completely free to download and use
And according to StatCounter, around 68% of all web browsers globally are Google Chrome
That’s down from a peak of 72%
Google Chrome was first released on September 2, 2008