As an integral part of the Privacy Sandbox program, which aims to break reliance on third-party cookies while browsing the web, Google announced that from the beginning of January 2024 it would begin to enable the blocking of tracking cookies for a small number of users of its browser (equal to 1% of the global user base).
The idea is to give companies that base their business on online advertising a tool that allows them to display personalized adverts without tracking users with the use of traditional cookies, not even if expressly approved with the acquisition of free and informed consent.
Already a few months ago, both on desktop/notebook devices and on the “mobile” side, Google Chrome had started showing the message Privacy for ads: the objective was precisely to start collecting information on website categories and on themes most appreciated by individual users (it’s not for nothing that we talk about Topics API) locally, relying on the browser’s abilities. The mechanism, explain the Mountain View technicians, does not allow for uniquely identify users (or at least the same device) nor, much less, does it open up the possibility of carrying out activities fingerprinting.
Chrome has started blocking third-party cookies: check if you are there too
We said at the beginning that the project Privacy Sandbox as a whole it aims to allow the display of personalized ads without compromising the privacy of each user.
In the first phase, activating the new mechanism on a number of Chrome installations equal to 1% of the overall “population” means starting a test program involving approximately 30 million users on a global scale. As the trial continues, unless there are some snags, Google will consider extending Privacy Sandbox to a much larger number of Chrome installations over the next few months.
How to check if Google has included you in the test program by having the block automatic dei tracking cookies managed by third parties?
How to check if you are participating in tracking cookie blocking
There are various clues to whether your Chrome installations were automatically configured to block third-party cookies.
The first approach is to look for aicon depicting an eye at the end of the address bar. Its appearance means that the site in use is trying to use third-party cookies but that they are blocked within the program Privacy Sandbox by Google.
By clicking on the eye icon then on the option Third party cookies (limited)you can tune the permit to use them over a time window of 90 days. In other words, in this period of time, the website being viewed may possibly use tracking cookies as it has always done in the past.
Beyond the banner sui cookie, as approved by the European legislator, blocking cookies managed via browser could have been the best solution. Instead of involving every single webmaster and every online publisher, bring users to continually compete with disclaimer Yes/No on the first visit to each page, an effective solution could have been identified by calling together those who develop and distribute Web browsers. But there it is. Also because current legislation configures website managers as data controllers of the data, not the browser developer.
Developer Tools offers further confirmation
Accessible by pressing the button F12The Developer tools they are an excellent tool that allows you to interact with the functioning of web pages, with the possibility of studying it closely and modifying it. The Google Chrome debugger is one of the tool better at understanding how a Web application works “behind the scenes”.
For participating Chrome instances Privacy Sandbox and who have the cookie block activeby pressing the button F12 then clicking on the errors at the top right (red “X” icon) reads the following: “Reading third-party cookie is blocked“.
New section Anti-tracking protection in Chrome settings
If, typing chrome://settings/trackingProtection in the Chrome address bar, the new settings section should appear Anti-tracking protectionyou will have further confirmation of participation in the program Privacy Sandbox by Google.
The new Chrome settings structure replaces the previous page chrome://settings/cookies. Indeed, by typing this second URL, you will be redirected to the new one chrome://settings/trackingProtection.
How to manually activate participation in the Privacy Sandbox program and block third-party cookies
Anyone interested in being ahead of the times and wanting to activate the program to block tracking cookies with Google Chrome, simply type chrome://flags in the address bar then paste the string tracking-protection-3pcd in the search box.
By activating both settings Tracking Protection for 3PCD e Third-party Cookie Deprecation Trial Grants for Testingas in the figure (place on Enabled the two drop-down menus), then restarting your web browser, for most websites you will see the eye icon appear. By default, Chrome automatically blocks all tracking cookies operated by third parties.
Opening image credit: iStock.com – Rutmer Visser