In the first part of the year, Google had announced a radical change to improve the privacy of Chrome users: the disabling of third-party cookies through the initiative Privacy Sandbox. However, recent developments indicate a significant change of direction by the Mountain View giant which, contrary to what it had stated months ago, will keep third-party cookies on Chromethe web browser it develops. The solution the company has identified consists in enabling users to make a «informed choice» which can be changed later and which impacts the entire browsing experience. In addition to this, other cookies could be introduced additional privacy controls and the IP protection in incognito mode from Chrome.
What are third-party cookies and why will they continue to be present on Chrome?
THE third party cookiesas you probably already know, are files that store data about users’ browsing experience and allow advertisers to show personalized ads. Although the prospect of a web without third-party cookies had gained favor among a segment of users concerned about privacy, advertisers were concerned about this move, fearing a negative impact on their businesses and, consequently, on their revenues.
It is no coincidence that the press release in which Google announced the new feature we are talking about opens with this statement:
We developed Privacy Sandbox with the goal of finding innovative solutions that can significantly improve online privacy while preserving an advertising-supported Internet that supports a vibrant publisher ecosystem, connects businesses with customers, and offers open access to a wide range of content for all.
Continuing his reasoning, Anthony ChavezVP of Google’s Privacy Sandbox project and author of the post that appeared on the company’s blog, then continued the reasoning by saying:
Throughout this process, we have received feedback from a wide range of stakeholders, including regulators such as the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), publishers, web developers and standard setters, civil society and the advertising industry. Their feedback has helped us create solutions that aim to support a competitive and thriving marketplace for publishers and advertisers, and encourage the adoption of privacy-enhancing technologies.
In light of what Chavez said, Google is proposing what it calls “an updated approach» that can allow users to make a choice (changeable at any time and applicable to the entire Internet browsing experience on Chrome), which will not lead to the elimination of third-party cookies. At the moment Google has not provided further details on this and, through the article published by Chavez, it lets us know that the discussion of the new approach with the regulatory authorities is already underway.
Google tries to please everyone
Google’s decision to continue supporting third-party cookies on Chrome, therefore, represents a sort of “compromise” between the protection of users’ privacy and the economic needs of advertisers. As the Privacy Sandbox project evolves, it will be necessary to understand how “Big G” intends to balance these two aspects by seeking the necessary equilibrium that can please everyone – that is, advertisers and users – without eroding its own corporate profits, as well as its Web reputation. One thing is certain: the issue is far from resolved and will continue to remain a hot topic, not to say a burning one.
