Google
is
putting
the
brakes
on
a
change
that
would
have
made
it
more
difficult
to
track
users
across
different
websites
to
serve
them
targeted
ads.
After
years
of
testing,
planning,
and
delays,
Google
has
scrapped
a
plan
to
turn
off
third-party
cookie
tracking
by
default
like
Safari
and
Firefox
already
do.
The
change
was
supposed
to
reach
Chrome
users
soon,
despite
concerns
raised
by
competitors,
regulators,
and
privacy
advocates.
Now,
Chrome
will
ask
users
to
“make
an
informed
choice
that
applies
across
their
web
browsing”
instead
of
deprecating
third-party
cookies,
writes
Google
Privacy
Sandbox
VP
Anthony
Chavez.
That
could
work
more
like
Apple’s
app
tracking
opt-in,
a
setting
that
reportedly
cost
social
media
platforms
nearly
$10
billion
when
it
rolled
out
in
2021.
Putting
a
prompt
in
front
of
Chrome’s
billions
of
users
wouldn’t
be
as
drastic
as
changing
the
default
entirely,
but
it
still
might
cut
the
number
of
users
allowing
third-party
tracking
significantly.
On
Monday,
the
Google
Ads
team
also
released
a
whitepaper
(pdf)
showing
the
results
of
early
tests
with
the
Privacy
Sandbox
tech
that’s
positioned
as
a
replacement
or
alternative
to
cookie
tracking.
Results
showing
returns
on
investment
with
Google
Display
Ads
showed
a
97
percent
recovery,
which
Ad
Age
called
strong,
but
effectiveness
dropped
in
attempts
to
engage
the
same
customers
with
follow-up
ads,
showing
only
a
55
percent
recovery
in
spending
for
re-marketing
audiences.
Criticism
of
Google’s
plan
to
deprecate
third-party
cookies
and
roll
out
other
ad-targeting
tech
in
the
Privacy
Sandbox,
like
FLoC
or
Topics
API,
pointed
to
the
possibility
of
new
privacy
risks
or
the
potential
of
harming
competition
and
unfairly
benefiting
the
search
giant’s
own
advertising
business.
In
response
to
the
news,
the
UK’s
Competition
and
Markets
Authority
writes
that
Chrome
“will
be
introducing
a
user-choice
prompt,
which
will
allow
users
to
choose
whether
to
retain
third
party
cookies.”
There
aren’t
details
on
exactly
how
that
will
work,
as
Google
said
it
is
“proposing”
a
new
approach,
and
the
CMA
plans
to
accept
comments
on
the
change
for
a
few
weeks.
The
Movement
for
an
Open
Web,
an
ad
industry
group
that
filed
the
CMA
complaint
to
block
the
Privacy
Sandbox
tech
rollout,
issued
a
statement
saying
the
change
“is
a
clear
admission
by
Google
that
their
plan
to
enclose
the
Open
Web
has
failed.”
Movement
for
an
Open
Web
co-founder
James
Rosewell:
We’ve
long
called
for
Privacy
Sandbox
to
be
allowed
to
compete
on
its
merits.
If
advertisers
prefer
its
approach,
and
consumers
value
the
alleged
privacy
benefits,
then
it
will
be
universally
adopted.
What
wasn’t
acceptable
was
for
a
solution
like
this
to
be
forced
on
the
market
whilst
removing
any
alternative
choices.
Google
says
it
will
continue
to
make
Privacy
Sandbox
APIs
available
and
add
anti-IP
tracking
protection
for
people
using
Incognito
Mode
to
add
an
additional
layer
of
privacy.
(Originally posted by Richard Lawler)
Comments