Google announced today that it will conduct a long-awaited cleanup of Internet cookies starting from January 4, 2024. Initially, cookies will be disabled for 1% of Chrome users, approximately 30 million people. In the second half of the year, Google will eliminate cookies for all users. As early as 2020, Google announced that it would phase out the Chrome browser's support for third-party cookies on the grounds that users have higher requirements for privacy and data control.
After stopping support for third-party cookies, Google plans to promote its "privacy sandbox" technology. But Google has repeatedly delayed the date for banning cookies due to complaints from publishers and ad tech companies.
Today, Google announced that it will begin testing its new tracking protection feature, known as "Privacy Sandbox" technology, from January 4 next year. By default, this feature will restrict websites from accessing third-party cookies. It will initially only target a small group of Chrome users, about 1% of the world. In the second half of 2024, Google will gradually stop the use of third-party cookies for all users.
Compared to other web browsers, Google's "privacy sandbox" technology sounds like it could be a boon to privacy-conscious users and the advertiser business as a whole, but Google's competitors and privacy advocates aren't entirely convinced by the technology.
Meanwhile, regulators including the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) are keeping a close eye on the technology to ensure it does not give Google an unfair competitive advantage, such as in selling ads.