Warning to 3billion Chrome users as Google scraps protection plan

Google has killed plans that would have stopped advertisers from tracking its three billion Chrome users.

The tech giant made the announcement Monday, saying it will no longer cancel and replace third-party cookies - small pieces of online data used by advertisers to serve people targeted ads on the web.

The proposal, known as Privacy Sandbox, had instilled fears in the online advertising industry that any replacement technology would leave even less room for online ad rivals. 

Google has been promising it would deprecate cookies from Chrome since 2020 and the decision has left the public outraged who believe they have been misled.

Privacy campaigners have long criticized third-party cookies, claiming they can be used to track users across the internet. 

In a blog post, Anthony Chavez, the vice president of Privacy Sandbox said that while the scheme's work had shown signs of success, it also required 'significant work by many participants and will have an impact on publishers, advertisers and everyone involved in online advertising.'

As a result, he confirmed Google was changing its approach to an opt-in system that 'elevates user choice.'

'Instead of deprecating third-party cookies, we would introduce a new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing, and they'd be able to adjust that choice at any time,' Chavez continued.

'We're discussing this new path with regulators, and will engage with the industry as we roll this out.'

But the words have fallen flat among users who cited Google's 'promise' to eliminate the third-party cookies, noting the company stated it would end support by early 2022.

That is when the company launched 'Privacy Sandbox,' its initiative to find a solution that protects privacy. 

'In August, we announced a new initiative (known as Privacy Sandbox) to develop a set of open standards to fundamentally enhance privacy on the web,' a January 2020 blog post read.

'Our goal for this open source initiative is to make the web more private and secure for users, while also supporting publishers.'

And in 2021, Google shared it was 'extremely confident' in the initiative to replace cookies.

A year later, the company revealed that advertisers were behind in creating a replacement and stated a complete elimination would impact their businesses, which led to the recent announcement.

'We're discussing this new path with regulators, and will engage with the industry as we roll this out,' said Chavez.

The decision comes weeks after Apple issued a warning about Google Chrome to its 1.46 billion iPhone users.

The tech giant took out billboards across the globe to promote its Safari search app, touting it as 'a browser that is actually private.'

Although the advertisement did not mention Google Chrome by name, it is the top downloaded search browser for smartphones - surpassing Safari by more than two million. 

The ad has been spotted in cities like San Francisco, London and Paris to far-reaching countries including Singapore and Australia, where people saw them on billboards, public transit and public buildings.

Apple’s ads appear to be warning people not to use Google which has encountered repeated controversy over its Chrome browser retaining cookie and search information.

‘Google revealed earlier this year that it collects your data if you use Google Chrome, even if you use Incognito Mode,’ Jake Moore, a global security advisor for cybersecurity company ESET told Forbes.

‘Personal data is so valuable to companies and when terms and conditions are so difficult to understand, it can be easy for users to simply allow companies to collect data at their will.’

However, a Google spokesperson told DailyMail.com that the company strives to keep people's 'data safe by default and ensuring users can control when and how their data is used in Chrome to personalize their web browsing experience.

'We believe users should always be in control, which is why we've built easy to use privacy and security settings directly into Chrome.'