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Google announced bad news for Chrome users on July 22, 2024. The plan to stop tracking cookies has failed.
This move surprised many, as people expected Google to solve the tracking issue.Google wanted to find a way to make both users and advertisers happy.
But, they couldn’t agree on how to do this with regulators. Instead of removing third-party cookies, Google will now let users choose how they are tracked.
Users can select tracking cookies, Google’s Topics API, or semi-private browsing. This choice can be changed anytime, but it’s not finalized yet.Apple warned its users against using Chrome.
They said Safari is more private. Apple’s ad showed users being watched while browsing, with Safari coming to save them. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) said Google’s new plan, Privacy Sandbox, still tracks users.
They warned that this move lets advertisers keep targeting users.Google’s Privacy Sandbox had many problems from the start. It groups users with similar interests, but Apple said this does not stop tracking as promised. Safari and Firefox blocked third-party cookies by default in 2020.
Google had promised to do the same but failed.Google said they will keep working towards a private web.
However, their plan to keep tracking cookies seems insincere. The promise to remove cookies was made four years ago but remains unfulfilled.
The EFF stated this shows Google values profits over privacy.