On Tuesday, Jan. 14, Google Chrome announced that they are planning to phase out its usage of internet browser cookies to protect most of its users with evident issues of hacking and information breach.
As mentioned in their blog post, Chrome's director of engineering, Justin Schuh, explained that Google Chrome, the top leading internet browser worldwide, will no longer support third-party cookies on their system for the next two years.
More Privacy! Google Chrome Will No Longer Snoop Your Data Once You Use Its Browser
Cookies are one of the most integral parts of any internet browser. This feature allows websites to monitor internet activity, history, and database to make way to third-party companies to know what you are into or what you search the most.
With this feature, advertisements similar to your interests or related to the keywords you type on browsers will pop into your searches, which brings easier internet browsing to all of its users.
However, since a lot of reports of internet snooping came in the present, users and even governments now demand a safe and more unrestrained internet searching for all.
Here comes Google Chrome's decision to fully stop using third-party cookies to promote transparency and control to the data their users owned.
"Users are demanding greater privacy - including transparency, choice, and control over how their data is used - and it's clear the web ecosystem needs to evolve to meet these increasing demands," said Schuh.
Mozilla Firefox and Apple Safari Totally Banned Third-Party Cookies
In 2018, other well-known internet browsers such as Mozilla Firefox and Apple's Safari already made the decision to fully blocked all third-party cookies once you use their browsers.
Although Google Chrome might do the same thing from now on, the company still reiterates that it will not share the same action with its competitors.
Cookies are no longer accessible to Chrome for only two years straight. Though the company has not yet explained what will happen next after these years, Chrome already claimed that there are huge negative effects once a browser bans all cookies-- interpreting that they will not totally ban third-party cookies.
"Some browsers have reacted to these concerns by blocking third-party cookies, but we believe this has unintended consequences that can negatively impact both users and the web ecosystem," said Schuh. "By undermining the business model of many ad-supported websites, blunt approaches to cookies encourage the use of opaque techniques such as fingerprinting (an invasive workaround to replace cookies), which can actually reduce user privacy and control."
Chrome Begs For Companies to Understand and Support Decision
According to CNN, a Chrome official said that the company has been talking to most of its third-party partners to understand and support their decision. In fact, cookies can still operate as long as companies will strictly follow Chrome's new proposal, and once the needs of users, advertisers and publishers are met within the said banning.
Google Chrome Seemed to be Exploring Says Expert
Justin Brookman, director of consumer privacy and technology policy at Consumer Reports, explained what Google Chrome has been doing on its internet cookies. Brookman noted that the action of Chrome might also be effective to lessen the competitors of their own digital advertising company named Alphabet.
"Google, on the other hand, seems more interested in preserving third-party tracking - but because cookies are fragile and under attack elsewhere, Google is exploring other tracking methods in the browser," Brookman added.
