Google has abandoned its plans to scrap cookies from its Chrome browser and proposes an updated approach to “elevate user choice”.
Rumoured for longer, but confirmed four years ago, Google said that third-party tracking cookies would be eliminated by 2022, but the deadline was moved three times. The last issued date was 2025 before the recent strategy change.
The change will likely be greeted positively by the igaming affiliate industry given its user data tracking models.
Google announced the strategy shift through its Privacy Sandbox initiative, which it created to protect online privacy and offer companies and developers tools in line with its policies.
Instead of deprecating third-party cookies, Google will introduce a new browser experience that will allow the user to make an informed choice on their web browsing and one that can be adjusted at any time.
Google plans to speak with regulators and industries as it rolls the plan out. The company also expects those who have built Privacy Sandbox APIs in line with the old policy to still see benefits as overall performance “will improve over time as industry adoption increases”.
It also intends to introduce the IP Protection settings tool that will anonymise the user’s IP address in Chrome Incognito mode.