Chrome Prepares for Tracking Protection Settings launch for 3PCD at 100% rollout

Google has started working on enabling the Tracking Proteciton settings that will be used for 3PCD (Third-Party Cookie Deprecation) at a 100% rollout. The feature is being added to Chrome Canary.

Chrome Tracking Protection Settings launch at 100%

Google aims to improve privacy for Chrome users by testing tracking protection that limits cross-site tracking. Back in December of last year, Google announced Tracking Protection and Privacy Sandbox initiatives for the Chrome browser. Starting on January 4, Chrome began testing this feature with 1% of users globally. The goal is to phase out third-party cookies by the second half of 2024 (subject to addressing any remaining competition concerns)

Google then said 1% of users for the feature are picked randomly, and they will be notified whether in Chrome on desktop or Android. An easier way to know if you’re part of the third-party cookie depreciation test is to look for an eye icon in the address bar for some of the websites you visit that come with third-party cookie tracking. On such sites, 3P cookies will be blocked because of the tracking protection feature, and the eye icon will appear.

Behind the scenes for 1% population, the company has enabled the following flag.

Tracking Protction for 3PCD

Enables the tracking protection UI + prefs that will be used for the 3PCD 1%. – Mac, Windows, Linux, ChromeOS, Android, Fuchsia, Lacros

The 1% of users will have chrome://settings/trackingProtection page instead of chrome://settings/cookies. Google now preparing the flag responsible for enabling tracking protection settings for 100% of users in Chrome on Mac, Windows, Linux, ChromeOS, Android, and others.

Here it is, today, Google made a commit, that notes “Tracking Protection 100%: Expose the flag to Clank”.

Tracking Protection Settings Launch
Enables the tracking protection settings that will be used for 3PCD 100%. – Mac, Windows, Linux, ChromeOS, Android, Fuchsia, Lacros

What this means by the end of 2024 unless there are concerns raised by UK competitions, all Chrome users will see these Tracking Protection settings and have full control over 3 party cookie depreciation feature.

Apart from the privacy feature, Google is working on adding a feature to Chrome that improves laptop battery life, and on Android, you get an automatic tab to declutter feature,. The company is also trying to split Chrome from Chrome OS by using Lacros.