Bleeping Computer: Google shares plans for blocking third-party cookies in Chrome

Bleeping Computer: Google shares plans for blocking third-party cookies in Chrome. “Google has officially announced plans to gradually eliminate third-party cookies, a key aspect of its Privacy Sandbox initiative. This phased approach begins with a 1% user testing period early in 2024, leading to a more extensive phase-out in the third quarter of 2024.”

UC San Diego: New Web Tracking Technique is Bypassing Privacy Protections

UC San Diego: New Web Tracking Technique is Bypassing Privacy Protections. “Two years ago, several browsers that prioritize user privacy — including Safari, Firefox, and Brave — began to block third-party cookies for all users by default. This presents a significant issue for businesses that place ads on the web on behalf of other companies and rely on cookies to track click-through rates to determine how much they need to get paid. Advertisers have responded by pioneering a new method for tracking users across the Web, known as user ID (or UID) smuggling, which does not require third-party cookies.”

The Register: Tracking cookies found in more than half of G20 government websites

The Register: Tracking cookies found in more than half of G20 government websites . “A study by IMDEA, a research facility in Madrid, Spain, evaluated more than 118,000 URLs of 5,500 government websites – think .gov, .gov.uk. .gov.au, .gc.ca, etc. – hosted in the twenty largest global economies (the G20) and discovered a surprising tracking cookie problem, even among countries party to Europe’s GDPR and those with their own data privacy regulations.”

CNBC: Fed up with endless cookie consent boxes? The UK plans to kill them off

CNBC: Fed up with endless cookie consent boxes? The UK plans to kill them off. “Britain wants an end to the barrage of cookie consent pop-ups. The government says new data reforms will heavily reduce the number of banners that appear on websites asking people to consent to cookies. The plans are part of a broader package of reforms from the U.K. seeking to diverge from EU data protection rules.”

PC World: This obscure Firefox tool is a must-use for privacy buffs

PC World: This obscure Firefox tool is a must-use for privacy buffs. “I’ve seen other people online who say they sandbox their social media accounts in Edge, work email and services in Firefox, and personal stuff in Chrome (for example)…. Maybe you’ve been wanting this kind of tidy, privacy-friendly setup too, but just don’t want to learn a new browser. Or your taskbar has precious little real estate. I’ve got great news for you: With the Firefox Multi-Account Containers add-on, you can achieve the same effect in just one browser.”

AFP: Google makes cookie opt-out easier after France fine

AFP: Google makes cookie opt-out easier after France fine. “Google announced on Thursday it was starting to roll out an option for European users to reject ‘cookies’ with a single click, months after it was slapped with a massive fine. Google, along with Facebook, has faced an onslaught of legal cases and punishments over its use of web-tracking technology, which breaches EU privacy legislation.”

New York Times: Google will introduce a new system for tracking Chrome browser users.

New York Times: Google will introduce a new system for tracking Chrome browser users.. “Google’s plan to eliminate cookies by the end of next year is a potentially huge shift for the digital advertising industry, though it is not clear if the new method, which the company will start testing in the first quarter this year, will be any less alarming to advertisers and regulators. Google Chrome, the world’s most widely used web browser, is used by two of every three people surfing the internet, according to StatCounter.”