Google testing Chrome feature that limits data tracking across websites
Published: 15:42 14 Dec 2023 EST
Google announced Thursday it will be testing a new feature that limits data tracking across different websites as it continues to move towards phasing out third-party cookies in its browser Chrome.
Its Tracking Protection feature will be rolled out to 1% of Chrome users globally on January 4.
Chrome users will be chosen at random and will be notified when they open the browser on either desktop or Android.
They will have the ability to temporarily re-enable third-party cookies should a Chrome user notice issues such as refreshing a page multiple times.
“We’re starting with a small percentage of Chrome users so developers can test their readiness for a web without third-party cookies,” Google Privacy Sandbox vice presisdent Anthony Chavez wrote in a blog post announcing the feature.
“With Tracking Protection, Privacy Sandbox and all of the features we launch in Chrome, we’ll continue to work to create a web that’s more private than ever, and universally accessible to everyone.”
Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)-owned Google plans to phase out third-party cookies for all Chrome users in the second half of 2024, subject to the company addressing concerns about the move raised by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority.
The regulator is concerned that the removal of third-party cookies may give Google’s advertising business an unfair advantage over its competitors.
