According to a new report by Engadget, Google has disabled third-party cookies for 1% of Chrome users globally on January 4th, marking the start of its Privacy Sandbox project that was first introduced years ago.

 With Chrome accounting for over 50% of the worldwide browser market share, this initial rollout impacts nearly 30 million users who will see notifications about Tracking Protection, which limits sites from using third-party cookies to track browsing activity. Users can temporarily re-enable third-party cookies if they encounter broken websites not yet adapted to this change that will eventually impact most internet users.

Google’s Privacy Sandbox aims to serve relevant ads to users while also protecting privacy, unlike traditional cookies. It assigns browser groups based on interests from recent browsing data that advertisers can use for ad matching – all while processing on-device rather than sending data externally. Concerns have emerged among regulators about increasing Google’s power, but the company plans to continue expanding this Tracking Protection feature over months until third-party cookies are fully disabled for all Chrome users by mid-2024.

The initial 1% rollout lets Google evaluate real-world impacts before expanding further. It provides a transition period for websites relying on third-party cookies to adapt.

If successful, the Privacy Sandbox and Tracking Protection will overhaul how user data can be utilized for ad targeting, presenting a major shift for the digital advertising industry while asserting Google’s influence over shaping its future standards.