Google reveals third-party cookies are here to stay

Google has announced it will no longer be rolling out its ‘user-choice’ button, meaning third-party cookies in Chrome are here to stay.

The user-choice button would've allowed users to opt out of being tracked by third-party advertisers. 

But now, in what is a 360 u-turn on the tech giant’s previous update on deprecating third-party cookies last July, it means advertisers can still use it to target consumers.

In a blogpost published Tuesday, Anthony Chavez, VP Privacy Sandbox at Google, said this latest move comes off the back of industry feedback.

He wrote: “As we’ve engaged with the ecosystem, including publishers, developers, regulators, and the ads industry, it remains clear that there are divergent perspectives on making changes that could impact the availability of third-party cookies.

“[...] We’ve made the decision to maintain our current approach to offering users third-party cookie choice in Chrome, and will not be rolling out a new standalone prompt for third-party cookies.

“Users can continue to choose the best option for themselves in Chrome’s Privacy and Security Settings.”

Despite the u-turn on cookies, Google has said it will continue certain projects with the Privacy Sandbox such as its IP protection for Chrome incognito users, which is due to be rolled out in Q3 this year.

Chavez said: “We'll continue to enhance tracking protections in Chrome's Incognito mode, which already blocks third-party cookies by default. This includes IP Protection, which we plan to launch in Q3 2025. 

“And we'll continue to invest in making Chrome the world’s most trusted browser, with technologies like Safe Browsing, Safety Check, built-in password protections, AI-powered security protections, and more.”

This article was originally published in Campaign's sister-publication Performance Marketing World.