Google to Release New Feature in January as Part of Privacy Sandbox
The company’s new feature is expected to restrict cross-site tracking by default.
- Google’s phasing out of third-party cookies has met with continuous delays.
- However, as part of its Privacy Sandbox initiative, the company has announced the rolling out of a new feature in January 2024. Learn more about it.
In 2020, search engine giant Google announced that it would deprecate third-party cookies. After much pushback from the industry, deliberations on what would replace them, and consistent delays, the company has decided to phase them out completely by the second half of 2024. That said, the company has been continuously testing features like FLoC and Topics as part of its Privacy Sandbox initiative.
As part of this initiative, the company has now announced another feature it will be testing in the new year. Come January 4, Google will roll out its Tracking Protection feature to 1% of Chrome users worldwide. The feature is expected to restrict cross-site tracking by default.
See more: FLoC Paused: Google Postpones Removal of Third-Party Cookies on Chrome to 2023
Timeline Is Subject to Addressing CMA’s Antitrust Concerns
The company sees this rollout as a crucial step in its Privacy Sandbox initiative. However, according to the search engine giant, the timeline of the rollout is subject to addressing the ongoing antitrust concerns raised by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
The CMA has been investigating the company’s plan to remove support for a few cookies in Chrome, as the watchdog is worried that it may impede competition in the digital advertising landscape and is keeping an eye on the company’s biggest money-making segment, advertising.
Google will be rolling out the feature to people worldwide at random. People to whom the feature will be rolled out will receive notifications when they open Chrome on Android or desktop in January. If a website relies on third-party cookies, users may face certain issues (for example, they may have to refresh the page multiple times). In such cases, Chrome will prompt them to re-enable the cookies temporarily.
For advertisers, if the website relies on cookies, the rollout may pose challenges. As such, they should take it as a heads-up to ensure their site is well prepared before Google entirely sunsets third-party cookies.
Have you prepared your website for Google’s retirement of third-party cookies? Share with us on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn. We’d love to hear from you!
Image source: Shutterstock
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