Google Chrome starts removing cookies from 1% of the public: here's how to find out if it's up to you

Google has promised that it will completely eliminate third-party cookies by the third quarter of 2024.
Currently, the1% of Chrome users is already involved in activity tracking throttling tests.

Publishers and website managers usually use cookies as a tool to profile users and offer targeted content based on their interests; in the past, Google had been accused of tracking users even when in Incognito mode on Chrome.

After a long period of planning, the company decided to delete third-party cookiesintroducing a new system called “Privacy Sandbox”.
This system will allow advertisers to continue to show ads based on users' interests, while maintaining a higher level of privacy.

Tracking or not?

The function of Anti-tracking protection limits cross-website tracking by preventing access to third-party cookies by default.

As of January 4, approximately 30 million Chrome users have received access to the feature, as part of Google's Privacy Sandbox initiative.

Privacy Sandbox is a project that plays a crucial role in the online advertising landscape, aiming to improve privacy without interruptions in the use of digital services, reducing tracking between sites and apps while browsing.

By September, the Protection feature will be active for all Chrome users.
Despite that, Google will track anyway users in a certain way: dividing them by common interests, even if in broader and more general orders.
An example could concern all Sony enthusiastsor all Nintendo gamersso to speak.

Google, heavily dependent on advertising revenue, with its compromise did not fully satisfy the opinions of some activists, given that advertisers will still be able to access information to guide advertisements.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has criticized this practice, pointing out that the tracking is carried out by a single entity as powerful as Chrome, which can share this information with interested advertisers, raising questions about the protection of user privacy.

Elite for testing

Currently, around 30% of browsers in uselike Safari and Firefox, does not accept third-party cookies.
Although 1% of Chrome users affected appears to be a small percentage, it would be worth checking if you are part of this situation.

To do this there are several approaches.
First, if the feature is available, you may notice aeye icon in the address bar.

If such icon shows a superimposed barthis indicates that the function is active.
On the contrary, if the eye is not crossed out, the function is present but could be deactivated for that site, either by choice of the user or due to compatibility problems detected by the system with the blocking of third-party cookies.

Another method to verify that Tracking Protection is enabled is to explore a new dedicated tab in your browser settings, under the “Privacy and Security“.
This tab will list several options to manage the functionality, such as blocking third-party sites on all web pages or requesting not to be tracked while browsing.