Google moves to rid Chrome browser of third-party cookies – but will it bolster data security, or just the tech giant’s dominance?
- Cookies, the files browsers store as we surf the web, help advertisers track our online habits. But internet users are concerned by a lack of privacy
- Google is accordingly moving to ban third-party cookies from its Chrome browser, but some say this gives the firm an unfair advantage in the advertising market
Wherever you go on the internet, the same question pops up in one form or another: “Do you want to allow the use of cookies?”
Where you click, where you spend time, which website you came from and when you return – information like this, stored on your computer and phone’s browser, has become a key pillar of personalised online advertising.
However, the pressure on browser companies like Google is growing as users grow increasingly aware of (and frustrated with) their lack of data security, and many in the industry are forecasting a so-called “cookie-less future”.
Google took its first step at the beginning of the year. Since January 4, around 1 per cent of random Chrome browser users have had their access to third-party cookies restricted by default as part of a trial, the company says.