Google delays phasing out tracking cookies in Chrome again. Originally planned for 2020, the company cites ongoing discussions with regulators and the need for industry testing. To address these concerns, Google delays the removal of third-party cookies from Chrome until at least early 2025. This gives regulators more time to review the impact and allows businesses to adapt their online advertising strategies.
“We recognize that there are ongoing challenges related to reconciling divergent feedback from the industry, regulators and developers, and will continue to engage closely with the entire ecosystem. It’s also critical that the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) has sufficient time to review all evidence including results from industry tests, which the CMA has asked market participants to provide by the end of June. Given both of these significant considerations, we will not complete third-party cookie deprecation during the second half of Q4,” they said in a blog post.
The blogpost also mentions the company’s intent to conclude that process this year.
“Assuming we can reach an agreement, we envision proceeding with third-party cookie deprecation starting early next year,” they said in the post.
The Internet major is seeking feedback on the Chrome-facilitated testing plans along with tracking issues from initial third-party cookie deprecation.
“If you rely on third-party cookie data for site functionality, you can now report site issues resulting from third-party cookie deprecation in the public issue tracker,” they said.
Additionally, Chrome will deprecate 1 percent of third party cookies in Q1 2024, and work closely with the CMA before taking further steps to expand deprecation.