Google has once again pushed back the deadline to discontinue the use of third-party cookies in its Chrome browser. Originally, the company had planned to phase out this practice of tracking users by 2022, following similar moves by Apple and Mozilla in the 2020s. However, the date was then extended to 2023, and subsequently to 2024. Now, Google representatives have announced a new delay, with the deadline now set for 2025.
The reason for the latest delay stems from disagreements with the UK regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The CMA is concerned that the new system could potentially give Google’s advertising unit an unfair advantage over its competitors.
In a blog post on Google’s official website explaining the rationale behind the delay, the company cites “disagreements with industry, regulators, and developers.” This post is part of a quarterly update report that Google regularly shares with the CMA.
For now, while the regulator continues to assess the results of industry testing on the new Privacy Sandbox and Topics API systems that are designed to work with Google Adsense, Chrome will continue to utilize third-party cookies. The CMA emphasized the importance of allowing ample time for experts to evaluate all data, including test results from market participants, which are due by the end of June.
The Privacy Sandbox groups users based on their browsing activities to deliver targeted advertising. Importantly, the data is processed locally on devices, and information is stored for a maximum of three weeks.