Google Introduces Feature to Ban Third-party Cookies
Google plans to completely ban the use of third-party cookies, empowering media agencies to provide proprietary insights at scale to advertisers.
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Google announced that it will begin testing a new feature on its Chrome browser as part of a plan to ban third-party cookies that advertisers use to track consumers.
The search giant is set to roll out the Tracking Protection feature on 4 January 2024 to 1% of Chrome users globally, restricting cross-site tracking by default.
“The timeline, however, is subject to addressing antitrust concerns raised by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA),” Google said.
The CMA has been investigating Google’s plan to cut support for some cookies in Chrome because the watchdog is worried it will impede competition in digital advertising and keep an eye on the company’s biggest moneymaking segment, advertising.
The European Union antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager also said that the agency’s investigations into Google’s introduction of tools to block third-party cookies – part of the company’s “Privacy Sandbox” initiative – would continue.
Advertisers have said the loss of cookies in the world’s most popular browser will limit their ability to collect information for personalising ads and make them dependent on Google’s user databases.
Brokerage BofA Global Research said that phasing out cookies will give more power to media agencies, especially those capable of providing advertisers proprietary insights at scale.
