For quite some time Google has been talking about phasing out third-party cookies from Chrome. Now, it appears the company is taking a different direction and will not be moving forward with removing third-party cookies from the browser.

In a blog post written by Anthony Chavez, VP of Privacy Sandbox for Google, he said that the new plan is to create a “new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing, and they’d be able to adjust that choice at any time.”

The company hasn’t announced specifics of what this new experience would entail yet, but said it would be engaging with regulators and then the community as the new experience is rolled out. 

Privacy Sandbox is an initiative that the company launched in 2019 as part of its plan to phase out cookies. The goal was to create a set of standards related to user privacy.

Chavez explained that while early testing indicated that Privacy Sandbox did have the potential to preserve innovation while still supporting an ecosystem of internet publishers and advertisers, the transition would require significant work by many parties. 

Google will continue offering Privacy Sandbox APIs and will continue updating them. It is also introducing IP Protection into Incognito mode as another optional privacy control that users can access.

“We’re grateful to all the organizations and individuals who have worked with us over the last four years to develop, test and adopt the Privacy Sandbox. And as we finalize this approach, we’ll continue to consult with the CMA, ICO and other regulators globally. We look forward to continued collaboration with the ecosystem on the next phase of the journey to a more private web,” Chavez wrote. 


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