Google announced "a new path" for its Privacy Sandbox initiative for the Web. The company's plan was to eliminate third-party cookies on the Internet and replace them with new technology that it built-into its Chrome web browser.
Third-party cookies may be saved by resources that are loaded on websites. If you visit Site A, that loads elements from Sites B and C, then B and C may save cookies on the user's devices that are third-party.
The main idea behind third-party cookies is not a bad one, but it has been used and abused in the past. One specific problem is user tracking.
Google's euphemistically called Privacy Sandbox set out to kill third-party cookies on the Web. Since Google's main business is advertising, and tracking is a core part of advertising, it was no surprise that Privacy Sandbox still allowed tracking.
Put simply: it moved tracking inside the web browser and switched from tracking individual users to user groups. Users would be put into groups based on their browsing.
While that is objectively better than the tracking of individual users, it is still tracking. For Google and other advertising companies, tracking is essential. For many users, it is a nuisance and privacy invasion.
The use of the euphemistic term and others, including IP Protection and Tracking Protection, has been at the forefront of Google's initiative. Called Privacy Washing by privacy rights organizations, the main purpose was to get the majority of Chrome users to agree to the new system; who does not want more privacy in their browser, right?
Third-party cookies are here to stay
Now, Google is saying that the company has changed its plans significantly. The first half of the blog post by Anthony Chavez, VP, Privacy Sandbox at Google sounds like everything is in order.
Google says that it sees a lot of potential in Privacy Sandbox, but it admits that the overall performance could be better and that it "requires significant work".
Because of this, Google has made the decision to keep third-party cookies. Instead of dropping support, Google proposes a system that "lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing, and they'd be able to adjust".
Additional details about the new approach are not available at the time of writing.
Closing Words
It sounds as if Google is about to give up on Privacy Sandbox. To save face, it is not dropping the feature entirely, but keeping it around for the time being.
While Google says that it will "continue to make the Privacy Sandbox APIs available and invest them", it sounds like the technology has already a grave reserved on Google's Graveyard.
Reading between the lines, it sounds as if Privacy Sandbox is not delivering the same results as third-party cookies when it comes to advertising and tracking.
This could have the potential to damage Google's core business going forward and it would explain why Google is rowing back.
It will be interesting to see how Google is going to introduce the "new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice" and that is applied "across their web browsing".
It will probably come up with yet another euphemistic term to persuade users to pick the choice that is best for Google's advertising business. In any event, we will keep you posted on the development, as usual.
What is your take on this? Google making a U-Turn and keeping third-party cookies alive in browsers?
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