Google Chrome will once again become the Cookie Monster…

Apple has warned iPhone users not to use the Chrome web browser for security reasons. You might remember the 2024 ad that Apple ran showing Android users using the Chrome Browser out in the wild while getting spied on by cameras that turn into birds and fly away. These cameras, which represented trackers following internet users, would blow up when trying to spy on Safari users. The point was that Apple’s Safari Browser does a better job at protecting users’ personal data than other mobile browsers including Chrome.

Google axed Cookies from Chrome, developed the Privacy Sandbox, reversed its decision on Cookies and canned the Sandbox

Similarly, Microsoft has been pushing Windows users away from Chrome. The company told Windows users that “Microsoft Edge runs on the same technology as Chrome with the added trust of Microsoft.” Despite these attacks by Apple and Microsoft on Chrome, it remains the most popular browser worldwide with over 3 billion users. But last week, Google admitted that its Privacy Sandbox was dead. This was the alternative that Google floated to replace third-party cookies for the web and Android apps.

In January 2024, Google decided to remove third-party cookies from Chrome. The Alphabet unit planned to phase out cookies and replace it with the Privacy Sandbox. The goal was to get an idea of what interests a consumer has without tracking him across the internet in order to push custom and personalized ads; the latter tend to generate higher prices from advertisers since they are generally more effective. That means higher revenue for Google.

Chrome’s huge market share in mobile and desktop has not been diminished by this

The Privacy Sandbox would move ad selection and data processing to the user’s browser and device instead of having the third-party trackers send individual user data to their servers across the web. Last year Google decided not to phase out the use of third-party cookies, and it now has stopped the six-year-old Privacy Sandbox project. While the project was introduced in 2019, the core advertising technology has been in use for just a bit over two years.

Despite Chrome users once again facing the strong possibility of being tracked and served personalized ads, Chrome’s huge market share is expected to stay steady. Right now, the browser owns more than 70% of the markets in both mobile and desktop. The only thing making some Chrome execs a little worried is possible competition from AI browsers such as Perplexity’s Comet and one eagerly awaited AI browser from ChatGPT parent Open AI. The Privacy Sandbox tools that Google is getting rid of include:

An API, or Application Programming Interface is like a middleman that allows two separate software interfaces to communicate with each other and share data. The process is similar to how a restaurant is run. Consider an app seeking data to be like a customer who gives the waiter his order. The waiter is the API who takes the order and gives it to the kitchen which is the server in this analogy. The kitchen prepares the food and gives it to the waiter. The waiter serves the food to the customer just like the API serves data to an app.

Why Google cancelled the Privacy Sandbox

A Google spokesman said, “We will be continuing our work to improve privacy across Chrome, Android and the web, but moving away from the Privacy Sandbox branding. We’re grateful to everyone who contributed to this initiative and will continue to collaborate with the industry to develop and advance platform technologies that help support a healthy and thriving web.”

Google cited “low levels of adoption” and feedback that the technologies weren’t providing sufficient value for ending the Privacy Sandbox.

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