UK Authority Raises Concerns over Google's decision to Continue Using Cookies in the Chrome Browser

Google had plans to discontinue cookies, but they did not to go ahead with the plan. The CMA is now more than displeased.

Concerns by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over the retention of third-party cookies in Chrome have emerged as one of the problems affecting Google’s online advertising services in the UK. In a related development, Google has dismissed its earlier decision to discontinue support for cookies, which are critical in serving targeted ads through user behavior monitoring.

In July, Google abandoned its original plans to phase out cookies from Chrome due to major opposition coming from advertisers who contended that removal of cookies would hamper their advertisement targeting strategies. Add the fact that they were concerned that they would have to leverage far more of Google’s own users’ data and that it would make Google very powerful in the online advertising market.

To allay these fears, Google has promised to provide users an option to allow or disallow Cookies that monitor a user’s actions within Chrome. Nevertheless, all the competition and privacy related concerns have not been allayed, that is why the CMA has contacted relevant institutions in relation to Google changes its policies.

Based on the response, the competition authority still expresses concern on competition issues. Other approaches may be adopted in order to safeguard competition in the destructive advertising beating up. Cookies policy, in relation to the extension of their use within Google, has been challenged by the ICO, who had previously accepted Google’s offer to revolutionize the use of cookies into less intrusive strategies.

Google has reiterated the importance to users of providing choices with regards to cookies, in reaction to the CMA's statement. It was also mentioned that they plan to keep engaging regulators including the CMA and the ICO in efforts aimed at creating a more privacy-conscious ad-supported internet.