Google Chrome To Continue To Use Third-Party Cookies in Major Reversal

An anonymous reader shares a report: In a shocking development, Google won't roll out a new standalone prompt for third-party cookies in Chrome. It's a move that amounts to a U-turn on the Chrome team's earlier updated approach to deprecating third-party cookies, announced in July last year, with the latest development bound to cause ructions across the ad tech ecosystem. "We've made the decision to maintain our current approach to offering users third-party cookie choice in Chrome, and will not be rolling out a new standalone prompt for third-party cookies," wrote Anthony Chavez, vp Privacy Sandbox at Google, in a blog post published earlier today (April 22). "Users can continue to choose the best option for themselves in Chrome's Privacy and Security Settings." However, it's not the end of Privacy Sandbox, according to Google, as certain initiatives incubated within the project are set to continue, such as its IP Protection for Chrome Incognito users, which will be rolled out in Q3.

What's shocking?

[el84]

Google subsidiary acts to protect key revenue stream for parent company. This is why I have never used chrome - the buggers simply can't be trusted.

Re:

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

Are you using Android?

Re:

[SumDog]

You can use a 3rd party ROM line LineageOS and not install GApps (F-droid + Auora if you really need stuff from the store). Sure it's still using a Chrome engine for apps that require it, but you can use Fennec (Firefox fork without the Mozilla bullshit) and UBlock Origin. You can also use Ad Away for additional DNS level ad blocking.

So this was always a antitrust issue

[rsilvergun]

The removal of third party cookies wasn't really a problem for Google's own companies because they have so much browser share and they can put things in the browser to get around it but it did hurt their competitors.

Re:

[DarkOx]

^THIS^

While there certainly are legitimate privacy concerns around third party cookies, Google's interest in the subject was hardly the public good.

The entire thing was about making it more difficult for their competitors to track ad impressions and user behavior with as much accuracy as Google via their other telemetry.

It was about Google being able to charge both higher rates for ad placement, and charge more for confirmed impressions and click troughs. This is slashdot though were people will write a wal

Re:

[Pinky's Brain]

Sure, I think this is more about preserving market share than profiling though. The advertisers in the US already have learned to live with the work arounds.

Lots of companies probably mandate Chrome so their antiquated sites aren't broken by Safari. When people need to use it for their job on their iPhone, they are more likely to stick with it.

Whatever...

[jamesL70]

First thing I do on a new install of Chrome is disable 3rd party cookies.

Re:Whatever...

[Valgrus Thunderaxe]

First thing I do with a new install of Chrome is download Firefox and UBO.

Re:

[SumDog]

Mozilla has a bunch of tracking by default now. I use the Librewolf fork on desktop and Fennec on Android + UBlock Origin on both. If you want to stay on FF, there are some custom userscripts out there you can add to disable all the Mozilla tracking. Mozilla has fallen far from it's original values.

Security

[sunderland56]

Welcome to the future..... we're closer to having flying cars than we are to having a secure browser.

Privacy Badger

[jmccue]

Just use Privacy Badger:

https://www.eff.org/pages/priv... [eff.org]

Not a mystery

[CEC-P]

I bet what really went down was "Firefox did whaaaaat? Recording everything they type? Even more people stopped using it? Manifest v3 my taint, let's do more monopoly abuse shit and make the web experience even shittier!"

Manifest v3 next?

[devslash0]

I'm a bit disappointed. I've been looking forward to 3rd party cookies disappearing from the surface of the Earth, and I think I'm not the only one. Useless piece of... dough.

On the other hand, what we really need to bring back is the Blocking Request API. Something that is actually useful but been recklessly removed against our will.

Re:

[jomcty]

Hear, hear!

Google sold us

[backslashdot]

I just hope they got paid handsomely for it, I'd hate it if they sold me and my data for cheap. I am worth a lot. Just knowing that I buy Cheetos Puffs is valuable information.

EU Regulations and Anti-Trust did this

[aldousd666]

The EU pushed google to keep third party cookies. they claimed that eliminating them was squashing the competitors ability to compete with their privacy sandbox.