Google has started disabling third-party cookies for Chrome users

Google has commenced the process of phasing out third-party cookies in its Chrome browser, a change that, since January 4th, has affected 1% of users worldwide as part of the “Privacy Sandbox” project. Considering Chrome’s market share, this deactivation is estimated to impact around 30 million users.

Users included in this initial wave of deactivation will receive a notification indicating their participation in an experimental privacy protection initiative. This feature restricts the use of third-party cookies for online activity tracking. Google has provided the option for temporary re-enabling of third-party cookies should users experience functional issues with websites.

Google’s “Privacy Sandbox” initiative is designed to offer an alternative to traditional cookies. This system categorizes users based on their browsing activities into interest groups to deliver targeted advertising, while ensuring that data processing occurs directly on the user’s device. Google intends to retain information about user interests for three weeks.

This project has drawn regulatory attention due to concerns that it may strengthen Google’s market position. Should the implementation prove successful, Google plans to gradually expand this tracking protection over several months, to eliminate third-party cookies for all Chrome users by mid-2024.