Google’s Chrome web browser will not entirely disable tracking cookies until late 2023, according to Alphabet Inc GOOGL.O, postponing a step that has sparked antitrust worries among competitors and authorities by nearly two years.
Google had hoped to prohibit a slew of ad-personalization firms from using cookies to gather information about users’ browsing habits, from January 2022. Rivals, on the other hand, charged that the world’s largest online ad vendor in terms of revenue was exploiting better privacy as a ruse to win market dominance.
Following an inquiry, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the United Kingdom agreed with Google this month to supervise the Chrome modifications. Google stated that their new schedule was in accordance with the agreement.
“We need to move at a responsible pace, allowing sufficient time for public discussion on the right solutions and for publishers and the advertising industry to migrate their services,” Vinay Goel, privacy engineering director for Chrome, wrote in a blog post.
The CMA stated that it was in the process of deciding whether or not to accept Google’s pledges, and that it had been notified of the potential timeframe adjustments as part of that process.