HTTP cookie is among the ways websites and apps can track users.
In general, cookies on the internet gather user data created by web servers that is generated corresponding to user activities. Cookies are used as trackers by many, to better understand user behavior and habits to understand their intentions, as well as to target users for advertising purposes.
While cookies do serve useful and sometimes essential functions on the web, as they enable web servers to store stateful information (such as items added in the shopping cart in an online store), for example, cookies can also be designed to be invasive.
It's only because cookies can be used to track internet users wherever they go online, that makes cookies harmful in terms of privacy.
And in Europe, where its governments value internet privacy more than most other places on Earth, tech giant Google is cornered.
Earlier this 2022, France’s data protection agency CNIL fined Google €150 million ($170 million) for deploying confusing language in cookie banners.
France despised Google's method of allowing users to accept all tracking cookies with a single click, but forced people to click through various menus to reject them all. This asymmetry was unlawful, said CNIL, steering users into deliberately accepting cookies to the ultimate benefit of Google’s advertising business.
Being hit with such a huge fine, Google tweaked its cookie banner for users in Europe.
The redesigned banner gives clear, balanced choices: "reject all," "accept all," or "more options" to exercise more granular control.
This redesigned banner should appear on Google Search and YouTube if people are not yet signed in to their Google account.
"We’ve kicked off the launch in France and will be extending this experience across the rest of the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland," said Google product manager Sammit Adhya in a blog post announcing the changes.
"Before long, users in the region will have a new cookie choice — one that can be accepted or rejected with a single click."
Google stressed that the company had "to re-engineer the way cookies work on Google sites" and "to make deep, coordinated changes to critical Google infrastructure" in order to make this happen.
Due to the way Google and its properties are entangled, the changes to the way the cookies work would impact not only Search and YouTube, but also the sites and content creators who use them to help grow their businesses.
"We believe this update responds to updated regulatory guidance and is aligned with our broader goal of helping build a more sustainable future for the web. We’ve committed to building new privacy-preserving technologies in the Privacy Sandbox for the same reason. We believe it is possible both to protect people’s privacy online and to give companies and developers tools to build thriving digital businesses," said Google.
The use of cookie banners in general remains a confusing and frustrating experience for most internet users. But fortunately, Google is listening, especially when it has been hit with a fine.
Regardless, this is still in line with Google's long-term goal, in which the company aims to get rid of cookies for good.
While changes like these may seen small, but for Google, it's huge.
Further reading: Embracing The Cookie-Less Future, Google Wants To Stop Tracking Users On The Web