Explore Google’s latest move to enhance user privacy with Tracking Protection on Chrome. Learn about the planned phase-out of third-party cookies and potential impacts on digital advertising. Stay informed on the timeline and regulatory considerations.
Understanding Google’s Tracking Protection Feature on Chrome
Google is gearing up to test an innovative feature on its Chrome browser with the aim of restricting the use of third-party cookies by advertisers for consumer tracking. This new feature, named Tracking Protection, is scheduled to launch on January 4, initially reaching 1% of Chrome users globally. The primary goal is to curb cross-site tracking by default. Looking ahead, Google intends to fully eliminate the use of third-party cookies for all users in the latter part of 2024.
It’s important to note that the timeline is contingent upon addressing antitrust concerns raised by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The CMA has been investigating Google’s plan to reduce support for certain cookies in Chrome, expressing concerns about potential impacts on competition in digital advertising. The regulatory body is also closely monitoring Google’s advertising segment, which constitutes a significant source of revenue for the company.
Cookies, specialized files enabling websites and advertisers to identify individual internet users and monitor their online behavior, are at the center of this initiative. The European Union’s antitrust chief, Margrethe Vestager, confirmed in June that investigations into Google’s deployment of tools to block third-party cookies, part of the “Privacy Sandbox” initiative, will persist.
Advertisers have voiced concerns about the implications of losing cookies in the world’s most widely used browser, asserting that it will restrict their ability to gather personalized ad information, potentially creating dependence on Google’s user databases. In a Thursday note, BofA Global Research highlighted that the cookie phase-out could shift power towards media agencies, particularly those capable of offering extensive proprietary insights to advertisers at scale.