It was raising eyebrows, and some couldn't believe Google was doing this. And apparently, they were right.
Google was planning to restrict the use of third-party cookies on its Chrome web browser, in a move it said is aimed to boost users' privacy while they browser the web. But after years of trying, the Alphabet-owned company simply couldn't push forward its attempt, and make it to realization.
During that period, Google received feedback from a wide variety of stakeholders, including regulators, publishers, web developers and standards groups, civil society, and participants in the advertising industry, and according to the company, the feedback "has helped us craft solutions that aim to support a competitive and thriving marketplace that works for publishers and advertisers, and encourage the adoption of privacy-enhancing technologies.
In the announcement, Google said that:
Read: The Release Of 'Privacy Sandbox' Is Google Chrome's Goodbye To Tracking Cookies
In the post, the company said it had made the decision after considering the impact that eliminating cookies would have on everyone involved in the sprawling digital ad business.
While early tests indicated that the Privacy Sandbox APIs have the potential to preserve privacy while keeping advertisers happy, Google found that the industry isn't ready for it yet.
" [...] we expect that overall performance using Privacy Sandbox APIs will improve over time as industry adoption increases. At the same time, we recognize this transition requires significant work by many participants and will have an impact on publishers, advertisers, and everyone involved in online advertising," the company said.
Because of this, Google back tracks its plan, and considers keeping third-party cookies in its Chrome browser.
But because the company pledged to give users the freedom of choice, Google proposed another solution, saying that:
Browser cookie is a small piece of data that a website stores on users' computer or mobile device when they visit the site.
These cookies are used for a variety of purposes, like session management, personalization, tracking and analysis. Cookies can also be categorized into different types, like session cookies, persistent cookies, first-party cookies, and third-party cookies.
What Google was trying to eliminate is Chrome's support for third-party cookies.
These cookies are typically used for advertising and tracking across different sites.
To eliminate third-party cookies, Google planned on using what's called the "Federated Learning of Cohorts." Also called FLoC, it was Google's proposed privacy-friendly substitute to cookies, which uses AI to analyze user data to then create a group of thousands of people based off the sites they have visited.
Unlike cookies, FLoC gathers data locally from the extension and the data is never shared.
But then, as others realize that FLoC is a security concern, and after receiving numerous backlash, Google had to kill FLoC in order to promote a cookie-less future.
But again, Google values its business more than anything.
Cookies power a massive $330 billion digital ecosystem, and has long been used to collect third-party data indirectly from users based on the websites they visit.
Google and other online data exchangers as middlemen between publishers and advertisers, can make use of this data to make eerily accurate ad targeting methods.
Eliminating this without careful move and long consideration can affect Google's empire in a bad way.
After all, advertisers, which are part of Google's largest source of income, have said that the loss of cookies in Chrome, which is the world's most popular browser, will limit their ability to collect information for personalizing ads, making them dependent on Google's user databases.
Sandbox Privacy and FLoC were ways to embrace the trends, but using their own way, and have no real benefit for Google.
Since Alphabet only tries to ensure the longevity of its business, Google in playing safe, again.
Read: Embracing A Cookies-Less Future, Google Cleverly Values Privacy, And Its Business