Happy New Year: Google Cookie Block Starts Soon, but Fear Remains
Rollout begins Jan 4, but few trust Google’s motives.
Google Chrome will start blocking tracking cookies for random users next month. The AdTech industry’s being told to use the new Privacy Sandbox APIs, instead. But Google owns the biggest browser and the biggest AdTech—can you spell M.O.N.O.P.O.L.Y?
People are calling it “a conflict of interest” and “just another way to track you.” In today’s SB Blogwatch, we get Firefox.
Your humble blogwatcher curated these bloggy bits for your entertainment. Not to mention: A hot idea.
2024 Almost Here
What’s the craic? Anthony Spadafora reports—“Chrome will finally let you say goodbye to annoying third-party cookies”:
“A long time coming”
Beginning on January 4, Google will begin testing its new Tracking Protection feature in Chrome that’s designed to restrict access to third-party cookies. … This feature will roll out to a small number of Chrome users at first before becoming generally available during the second half of 2024.
…
Google’s plan to phase out third-party cookies once and for all has been a long time coming. … Even if Tracking Protection does roll out smoothly, it will likely take a few years before third-party cookies truly become a thing of the past.
“A small number of users”? How small? Richard Lai says the “update will be rolled out to 1% of Chrome users”:
“There are billions of Chrome users”
It’s finally time. … At first, only a random one percent of Chrome users globally will see “Tracking Protection” enabled in their browser. … Google will then gradually ramp up the rollout to 100%.
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Chrome [has] 62.85% of the worldwide browser market share, with Apple’s Safari in second place at 20.04%, and Microsoft’s Edge in third place at a mere 5.5%. Considering that there are billions of Chrome users today, it is perhaps fair for Google to call the initial one-percent rollout “a key milestone.”
And what of Edge? Paul Thurrott confirms Microsoft is on board with the plan—“Google to Push Forward”:
“Another way to track your activities”
Resistance to this functionality has been fierce. … To be clear, every Chromium-based browser maker except for Microsoft intends to block this functionality.
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It includes new APIs for developers to support “legitimate use cases” for cross-site tracking while “preserving user privacy.” … Tracking Protection is still designed to balance the needs of users and advertisers, and it should be viewed as just another way to track your activities online.
Is this is good thing? Troik thinks so—in principle:
In principle a good thing—it’s absolutely bananas how sites and data-brokers are abusing the cookie system. Downside is, of course, that we are giving even more power to Google, which not everybody might be comfortable with.
They are the biggest ad company on the planet and are also controlling the Browser that ~70% of people on the web are using. A bit of a conflict of interest, if you ask me.
A bit, you say? bradley13 remembers the good old Don’t Be Evil days:
Yup, that’s Google, looking out for their ad business. What a sad, sad company they have become.
But surely better than tracking cookies? hwertz isn’t convinced:
Because the replacement is terrible. OK, they’re eliminating 3rd party tracking cookies — and replacing it with a system where all your browsing history is broken down into site categories, and all that category-based browsing history is sent on request.
This is not in any way better than tracking cookies: Actually gives them more information, not less. … So this is to remove user control over what information advertisers get and what ads the user sees.
Apparently, only stupid people think this is a good idea. Thomas Hajicek explains:
If people think this is in any way a step in the right direction, they’re either ridiculously uninformed or willfully obtuse. This is literally just Google consolidating all of that tracking for themselves and selling it to the other companies who once got it for free.
Nothing is changing for the end user here. If anything, targeted ads will be all the more relentless and annoying.
Could you be a bit more punchy? A slightly sweary Archangel_Azazel flies in, to say:
If you actually think Google is going to do literally anything to help you, I wish you a speedy healing from your lobotomy. This is just to make them money—that’s it. *** these ***holes.
Meanwhile, perhaps your reaction is more “meh.” Like, for example, numberthirteen’s:
If it gets rid of the constant “Please agree to our cookies before looking at the website” popups I get all over the place, I don’t care if they track every intimate detail of my daily “Wake up, go to work, come home, cry, eat pizza, sleep” routine til the end of days.
And Finally:
You have been reading SB Blogwatch by Richi Jennings. Richi curates the best bloggy bits, finest forums, and weirdest websites … so you don’t have to. Hate mail may be directed to @RiCHi, @richij or [email protected]. Ask your doctor before reading. Your mileage may vary. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Do not stare into laser with remaining eye. E&OE. 30.
Image sauce: Vyshnavi Bisani (via Unsplash; leveled and cropped)