Google will be removing support for tracking cookies from their Chrome browser in 2022, in a move that they hope will please both users and advertisers. This comes as a compromise to the stance Google took when they first announced their Privacy Sandbox initiative, where they suggested tracking cookies dissuaded advertisers from using browser fingerprinting.
Cookies are bits of data that are sent from a website and stored onto a computer. They’re how websites can remember your log in session or settings that aren’t connected to an account. This is also how many advertisers collect data on what your interests are. Thankfully, cookies can be removed by deleting them from within the browser’s menus. In Google Chrome, it’s done by checking off a box in the clear browsing data menu, accessed by the history tab in the settings menu. However, browser fingerprinting is an precise method of tracking individual devices and users that doesn’t rely on cookies. Essentially, it takes notes of details of your browser to separate your interests and habits from everyone else. Browser fingerprinting can be preemptively evaded by using browser plugins like Privacy Badger or NoScript, which are designed to keep invisible trackers from getting onto your machine.
Google’s initiative towards the development of a set of open standards with the goal of enhancing privacy on the internet began in August of 2019. In January of the following year, Google came forward with news regarding the direction their Privacy Sandbox would be taking. “After initial dialogue with the web community, we are confident that with continued iteration and feedback, privacy-preserving and open-standard mechanisms like the Privacy Sandbox can sustain a healthy, ad-supported web in a way that will render third-party cookies obsolete,” Google explained on their Chromium Blog. The move places Google in line with Apple, Microsoft, and Mozilla’s handling of tracking cookies.
Google Exaggerates the Threat of Browser Fingerprinting
Google’s decision to remove cookies from its browser comes with a couple of caveats. “Some browsers have reacted to these concerns by blocking third-party cookies, but we believe this has unintended consequences that can negatively impact both users and the web ecosystem. By undermining the business model of many ad-supported websites, blunt approaches to cookies encourage the use of opaque techniques such as fingerprinting… We believe that we as a community can, and must, do better,” Google wrote, as the reasoning for their 2022 delay.
Google’s statement makes browser fingerprinting sound like a much larger deal than it really is. The trackers used in fingerprinting are picked up by anti-malware software, and there is no shortage of methods to prevent it. If you’re worried about fingerprinting and don’t want to install a plug-in, you can simply disable Javascript or use a private browsing mode found in the settings menu. Still, the move towards phasing out tracker cookies is appreciated, even if they’re taking two years to do it.
Next: Why Google Buying Fitbit Has Raised Privacy Concerns
Source: Google
