Google has announced changes to its plans regarding the discontinuation of support for third-party cookies in Chrome that are set when accessing sites other than the domain of the current page. Such cookies are used to track user movements across different websites in ad networks, social media widgets, and web analytics systems.
Initially, support for third-party cookies in Chrome was planned to end by 2022, but this deadline has now been pushed back by at least a year and a half since the implementation of a replacement for third-party cookies requires more time than expected. By the end of 2022, testing of the technologies meant to replace tracking cookies is expected to be completed and activated in Chrome, after which ad networks and sites will be given at least 9 months to migrate their systems, monitor performance, and publish feedback. In mid-2023, the gradual phase-out of support for third-party cookies in Chrome will begin, which will be stretched out over three months.
The changes are part of the Privacy Sandbox initiative aimed at achieving a compromise between users' need for privacy and the desire of ad networks and sites to track visitor preferences. Instead of tracking cookies, it is proposed to use the FLoC (Federated Learning of Cohorts) technology to determine user interests without violating privacy, allowing for the identification of groups of users with similar interests without identifying individual users.
The trial implementation of FLoC in Chrome has faced resistance from the community and criticism, with concerns that FLoC does not solve all problems and creates new risks, such as facilitating user discrimination and introducing an additional factor for covert identification and tracking of user movements. According to Mozilla, the FLoC technology requires further development, and in its current form, mass implementation poses significant risks.
Source: opennet.ru
