Google Just Disabled Cookies For 30 Million Users. Here's How To Check If You're Affected
Google is stepping up their privacy game.
By Syazwan Bahri - 05 Jan 2024, 05:03 AM
Cover image via Cookies have been an integral part of the Internet since 1994
While the term invokes the thought of a yummy baked treat, it's actually a tracker used to observe your behaviour as you surf the Internet. Cookies serve numerous benign purposes, such as retaining website preferences, preventing fraud, or enabling seamless logins.
However, privacy advocates are not too happy with cookies as some of them, especially third-party cookies, track and share your behaviour profile across websites.
Starting 4 January, Google has disabled cookies for 30 million Chrome users
The Californian tech giant is selecting approximately 1% of Chrome users globally, totaling about 30 million users, to be the early adopters of a feature known as 'Tracking Protection'.
As part of Google's Privacy Sandbox, this feature aims to restrict websites from utilising third-party cookies to track users' browsing activities, thereby limiting the delivery of targeted advertisements.
Image via Google
Here's how you can check out if you're affected:
If you happen to be among the 1% randomly chosen for Tracking Protection, you'll receive a notification in your Chrome browser for desktop or mobile.
Image via Google
It reads: "You're one of the first to experience Tracking Protection, which limits sites from using third-party cookies to track you as you browse."
There are additional indicators to help you check if you're not receiving cookies. With Tracking Protection enabled, a small eyeball logo will appear in the URL bar. You have the option to click on this icon if you wish to let a specific website use cookies, especially considering that this Chrome update is likely to disrupt functionality on some websites.
Fortunately, Chrome incorporates new features that automatically disable Tracking Protection when issues are detected on a particular website.
Google plans to eliminate cookies by the end of 2024
In a recent blog post by Google, the company described Tracking Protection as a key milestone in the company's improved privacy initiative.
"When it comes to improving privacy on the web, the work is never finished," Google vice president, Anthony Chavez, said.
"That's why in Chrome, we continue to invest in features that protect your data and provide more control over how it's used," he added.
