Google delays Chrome cookie ad-tracking plans until 2023

Google is delaying its plans to phase out third-party cookies used for ad tracking on the Chrome web browser until 2023.

The tech giant was hoping to plough ahead with its “privacy sandbox” some time next year but there have been concerns about the impact it would have on publishers who rely on the technology for revenue.

Improving privacy has been the main argument for the move since it was first revealed in 2020, with several alternatives already being tested.

Google said it is pushing back the changes by almost two years because it needs more time to “get this right”.

“We need to move at a responsible pace,” Vinay Goel, Google’s privacy engineering director for Chrome explained in a blog post.

“This will allow sufficient time for public discussion on the right solutions, continued engagement with regulators, and for publishers and the advertising industry to migrate their services.

“This is important to avoid jeopardising the business models of many web publishers which support freely available content.”

The firm has pledged that it will not favour its own advertising and advertising technology businesses when designing and operating a new system which will be a major overhaul of how ads work on the Chrome browser.

To allay concerns, Google recently agreed to allow the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) watchdog a role overseeing the process, following an earlier investigation.