Since 2020, Google has planned to phase out support for third-party cookies in their Chrome browser, with various termination dates put forward. However, Google has made a U-turn on those plans, announcing that the tracking technology will remain in its Chrome browser. 

Google has stated that rather than disabling cookies in the browser altogether, they have now given users the option to turn cookies on or off. 

Why has Google decided to keep cookies in Chrome? 

Upon Google’s plans to eventually phase out third-party cookies, digital advertisers have been objecting to the plan, noting it would impact ad spending if Google killed cookies and replaced them with its own system. Following the 2020 announcement, Google saw shared in rival tech ads rise. Regulators also opposed the move and opened an investigation into how it would affect competition.

Google introduced several cookie-replacement experiments for the broader industry to test over the last few years, but none ever gained full support from industry partners and regulators. This led to Google’s initial cookie replacement, FLoC, being scrapped in 2022 due to privacy experts being worried it could inadvertently make it easier for advertisers to gather user information.

“Instead of deprecating third-party cookies, we would introduce 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." Said Anthony Chavez, VP of Privacy Sandbox at Google.