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Google Scraps Plan to Remove Cookies from Chrome

FILED - 09 January 2024, US, Las Vegas: The Google logo can be seen on the Internet company's pavilion at the CES technology trade fair. Photo: Andrej Sokolow/dpa
FILED - 09 January 2024, US, Las Vegas: The Google logo can be seen on the Internet company's pavilion at the CES technology trade fair. Photo: Andrej Sokolow/dpa
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Google Scraps Plan to Remove Cookies from Chrome

FILED - 09 January 2024, US, Las Vegas: The Google logo can be seen on the Internet company's pavilion at the CES technology trade fair. Photo: Andrej Sokolow/dpa
FILED - 09 January 2024, US, Las Vegas: The Google logo can be seen on the Internet company's pavilion at the CES technology trade fair. Photo: Andrej Sokolow/dpa

Google is planning to keep third-party cookies in its Chrome browser, it said on Monday, after years of pledging to phase out the tiny packets of code meant to track users on the internet.
The major reversal follows concerns from advertisers - the company's biggest source of income - saying the loss of cookies in the world's most popular browser will limit their ability to collect information for personalizing ads, making them dependent on Google's user databases, Reuters reported.
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority had also scrutinized Google's plan over concerns it would impede competition in digital advertising.
"Instead of deprecating third-party cookies, we would introduce a new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing, and they'd be able to adjust that choice at any time," Anthony Chavez, vice president of the Google-backed Privacy Sandbox initiative, said in a blog post.
Since 2019, the Alphabet unit has been working on the Privacy Sandbox initiative aimed at enhancing online privacy while supporting digital businesses, with a key goal being the phase-out of third-party cookies.
Cookies are packets of information that allow websites and advertisers to identify individual web surfers and track their browsing habits, but they can also be used for unwanted surveillance.
In the European Union, the use of cookies is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which stipulates that publishers secure explicit consent from users to store their cookies. Major browsers also give the option to delete cookies on command.
Chavez said Google was working with regulators such as the UK's CMA and Information Commissioner's Office as well as publishers and privacy groups on the new approach, while continuing to invest in the Privacy Sandbox program.
The announcement drew mixed reactions.
"Advertising stakeholders will no longer have to prepare to quit third-party cookies cold turkey," eMarketer analyst Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf said in a statement.
Lena Cohen, staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said cookies can lead to consumer harm, for instance predatory ads that target vulnerable groups. "Google's decision to continue allowing third-party cookies, despite other major browsers blocking them for years, is a direct consequence of their advertising-driven business model," Cohen said in a statement.

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Taiwan May Exports Hit Record on AI Demand and Ahead of US Tariffs

A man rides a motobike on the street with wind turbines in the background, in Changhua, Taiwan May 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ann Wang
A man rides a motobike on the street with wind turbines in the background, in Changhua, Taiwan May 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ann Wang
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Taiwan May Exports Hit Record on AI Demand and Ahead of US Tariffs

A man rides a motobike on the street with wind turbines in the background, in Changhua, Taiwan May 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ann Wang
A man rides a motobike on the street with wind turbines in the background, in Changhua, Taiwan May 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ann Wang

Taiwan's exports surged to a record in May on booming demand for artificial intelligence and as customers placed orders ahead of US tariffs which could take effect next month after a suspension period expires.

Exports increased 38.6% from the same month a year ago - the fastest pace in almost 15 years - to $51.74 billion, a record high and the first time the value of exports has exceeded $50 billion, the finance ministry said on Monday.

The expansion, the 19th consecutive monthly gain, was higher than the 25% expected by economists in a Reuters poll and surpassed April's 29.9% rise.

Taiwan companies such as TSMC , the world's largest contract chipmaker, are major suppliers to Apple , Nvidia and other tech giants.

May exports benefited from continued strong AI demand and customers bringing forward orders to hedge against the possibility of increased U.S. tariffs, the ministry said in a statement.

US President Donald Trump planned a 32% import levy on goods from Taiwan under his global tariff regime, until he announced a 90-day pause in April to allow for trade negotiations.

While AI and other new technologies should continue to support Taiwan's exports, the uncertainty surrounding the US tariffs and geopolitical risks could undermine the global economic outlook, the ministry said.

For June, the ministry expects exports to rise between 15% and 25% year-on-year.

In May, Taiwan's exports to the United States soared 87.4% year-on-year to $15.52 billion, a record in terms of growth and value, versus a 29.5% surge in the prior month.

Exports to China, Taiwan's biggest trading partner, climbed 16.6%, after rising 22.3% in April.

Taiwan's total exports of electronic components gained 28.4% in May on the year to $17.2 billion, with semiconductor exports up 30.1%.

Imports rose 25% to $39.13 billion, lower than economists' forecasts of 30.2%.