Third-party cookies are typically used by advertisers to track where users go on the web so they can target ads at them based on their interests and preferences.
Other web browsers have already started proactively blocking theses cookies, but Google said this could have “unintended consequences that can negatively impact both users and the web ecosystem”.
Instead, Google wants Chrome and other browsers to implement a 'Privacy Sandbox' that will still allow firms to provide targeted ads to web users without being able to identify specific people.
Google said it plans to “phase out” support for third-party cookies over the course of the next two years in a move designed to “fundamentally enhance privacy”.
Defending its approach, Google said that ending any form of tracking would undermine the business models of many ad-supported websites and even encourage “blunt approaches” such as “fingerprinting” which actually reduces the level of privacy and...