Google Plans to Nix Third-party Tracking Cookies

• The use of cookies to track where people go, what they do, and what they buy online was always a focus of many privacy activists.
• The online giant, however, said its "Sandbox" program would still assist advertisers in delivering targeted messages.

Google announced that it has made progress in phasing out third-party cookies on its search website in an effort to boost online privacy.

What happened?

Google plans to end its support for third-party tracking features from its Chrome internet browser.

• The feature was often used by businesses to track people's online activities. However, it is a steady process that may take two years.
• The online giant, however, said its "Sandbox" program would still assist advertisers in delivering targeted messages.

Chrome director of engineering, Justin Schuh said that "We are confident that with continued iteration and feedback, privacy-preserving and open-standard mechanisms like the Privacy Sandbox can sustain a healthy, ad-supported web in a way that will render third-party cookies obsolete...our intention is to do this within two years."

What propelled the decision?

The use of cookies to track where people go, what they do, and what they buy online was always a focus of many privacy activists. It raised grave concerns related to privacy violations in the past.

But, these matters have also been defended by marketers and experts who advocated about free online services that survive on advertising revenue.

"Our goal for this open-source initiative is to make the web more private and secure for users, while also supporting publishers," Schuh said.

Modifying tracking behavior

As per the firm, simply blocking cookies would not yield the right solution and help no one. Due to cookies, we have today "fingerprinting" techniques to track people, which in some way have been more insidious than cookies.

While Schuh did not detail specifics about what Google would use to replace cookies, rather said, "We are working actively across the ecosystem so that browsers, publishers, developers, and advertisers have the opportunity to experiment with these new mechanisms."