(Bloomberg) — Google said it will delay a plan to remove third-party cookies in its Chrome browser until the end of 2024, a move that will change the way ads are targeted to websites.
The division of Alphabet Inc. is working with publishers, marketers and regulators on its plan to replace cookies, the software marketers use to track people’s online activity and target ads, through an initiative known as the Privacy Sandbox. In a blog post on Wednesday, Google said it would delay the move to the new system to give marketers more time to test its tools.
“The most consistent feedback we’ve received is the need for more time to evaluate and test new Privacy Sandbox technologies before rejecting third-party cookies in Chrome,” Google vice president Anthony Chavez wrote in the post. “We now intend to start removing third-party cookies in Chrome in the second half of 2024.”
Trials of the new privacy-sensitive advertising tools will expand to more users in early August, ramping up throughout the rest of this year and into 2023. The news was first reported by Insider.
Google’s decision to phase out cookies echoes moves by Apple Inc., which shook up the digital ad market last year by limiting advertisers’ access to user data on its iOS operating system. But at a time when the tech giants are facing increasing antitrust scrutiny, some experts are concerned that Google’s move to eliminate cookies could increase its power in the digital advertising market, where it already plays a dominant role.
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