Google has begun changing the Chrome browser to block third-party cookies, or small data files that a web browser stores to collect analytic data, personalize advertisements, and record one’s browsing history, an overhaul that could have detrimental impacts on digital advertising.
The feature was rolled out as a test on Thursday to 1% of users, or 30 million people. Google said that it plans to roll out the elimination of cookies fully by the end of 2024. The small elimination of data collection is part of a more considerable effort by Google to make the internet more private.
BIDEN STARING DOWN ‘FIVE-ALARM FIRE’ WITH MINORITY VOTERS. CAN HE WIN BACK SUPPORT?
“We’re taking a responsible approach to phasing out third-party cookies in Chrome,” Anthony Chavez, Google’s vice president, said in a blog post outlining the move in December. “If a site doesn’t work without third-party cookies and Chrome notices you’re having issues … we’ll prompt you with an option to temporarily re-enable third-party cookies for that website.”
Cookies record data about a number of online behaviors, including what one does on the website in question, the user’s location, the device they used to view the website, and where they shifted afterward. The information may be provided to services such as Google Ads, where they can target advertisements based on location or past visits. For example, a user who visits a website that sells mattresses may see ads in the future linking to similar mattress ads on other websites.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
This inability to personalize advertisements may limit the revenue sources for a number of news outlets, although several have stepped away from the technology. “Up to 60-70% of the market is already kind of fading itself out from using third-party cookies,” Phil Acton, the U.K. manager for the Adform media-buying platform, told the Press Gazette. Many news outlets have had to change their advertising model to account for diminishing interest in customized ads.
While this shift away from cookies will ensure that users have their private data adequately protected, it may hurt the bottom line for news outlets, according to some industry experts.
