Industry Reacts to Google Third-Party Cookies Reversal

After years of signalling a move away from third-party cookies, Google has announced it will stick with the current system on Chrome, at least for the time being. The news comes from a recent blog post from the tech giant, marking a notable shift in the direction of its Privacy Sandbox initiative, which was originally launched to reshape digital advertising with stronger user privacy at its core.

“We’ve made the decision to maintain our current approach to offering users third-party cookie choice in Chrome,” said Anthony Chavez, VP of Google’s Privacy Sandbox, in a blog post. “We will not be rolling out a new standalone prompt for third-party cookies.”

Since its introduction, the Sandbox has made headway, offering privacy-first APIs as potential alternatives to cookie-based tracking.

Chavez pointed out that the privacy landscape has changed considerably since the Sandbox was first announced in 2019. Google’s formal engagement with UK regulators in 2022, the rise of AI-driven privacy tools, and evolving global regulations have all contributed to the current reassessment.

In response, Google has decided against rolling out a new prompt related to third-party cookie usage in Chrome. Instead, users will continue to manage cookie settings through Chrome’s existing Privacy and Security options.

While this move pushes back the original timeline for phasing out cookies, Chavez emphasised that Chrome will still advance user protections in other ways. For instance, third-party cookies remain blocked by default in Incognito mode, and a new feature called IP Protection, set to launch in Q3 2025, aims to enhance private browsing even further.

Here's what some key industry members think of the move.