Google delays blocking third-party cookies again, now targeting late 2024

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

We are at least two years away from abandoning the intrusive cookies, fingerprinting, and other tech that track user information and behavior across multiple sites for advertising to using a set of replacements. About two and a half years ago, it was announced that third-party tracking cookies would be phased out in the early 2020s.

In a post published today, Anthony Chavez wrote that they intend to phase out third-party cookies in the second half of the century. This could be the last time it is pushed back because the current development approach has approval from the UK's Competition and Markets Authority.

There is a balance to be struck between preserving privacy and continuing to enable the online advertising economy that is the core of its business, according to a new set of APIs that is being tested by the company. If you are running a alpha version of Chrome, you may be able to test the APIs on your site and in your app.

Image: Google

The plan is to expand the group of Chrome users who have Privacy Sandbox APIs enabled to millions of users globally starting in August, then gradually opt more people in throughout the rest of the year and into 2023, giving publishers and developers time to find out how the technology works.

If you use the browser, you will be able to manage your participation whenever it rolls out to you.

Bennett Cyphers, a staff technologist with the EFF, called for the shift to be directed towards building a user-friendly web. While "it definitely improves on FLoC", "being less scary than FLoC doesn't mean it's 'good'." It will tell third-party trackers about what sites you visit, and it could help websites and advertisers. We will continue to listen and respond to feedback as the web community tests these.