Google is changing its cookie popups on Google Search and YouTube in Europe. The new cookie banner is rolling out already, and the main change that it introduces is the integration of an “reject all” button to block all non-essential cookies from being set and non-essential data from being collected.
Right now, when you visit a Google-owned Internet site for the first time, you will see the before you continue cookie banner. The banner informs you about the use of cookies on the property. The classic banner has two buttons, one to customize the data collection and the “I agree” button.
Users who want to reduce the use of cookies and data collecting need to select the “customize” option to change the defaults. The “I agree” option gives Google full control over the collecting.
The customize page displays several options, including YouTube History, Search customization, or ad personalization, that can be turned on or off on the property.
Rolling out now in Europe is a new cookie banner that is giving users an easier option to block all cookies except necessary ones.
Google notes in the announcement that this is coming to Google Search and YouTube in Europe for visitors who are not signed-in to a Google account at the time or are in Incognito mode. The rollout has started in France and Google plans to bring the updated cookie banner to all member states of the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland soon (Google did not provide specifics).
The cookie overlay provides details on the use of cookies and the collection of data when users select the reject all or accept all buttons.
According to it, Google will use a base set of cookies and data regardless of the user choice. The data is used to “deliver and maintain Google services, “track outages and protect against spam, fraud and abuse”, and to “measure audience engagement and site statistics”.
The optional set of cookies and data is only used if the user selects “accept all” or keeps certain options on the customize page turned on. Users who select the new “reject all” button won’t have these collected anymore:
- Develop and improve new services.
- Deliver and measure the effectiveness of ads.
- Show personalized content, depending on your settings.
- Show personalized ads, depending on your settings.
Closing Words
Some companies and organizations make it hard for users to reject all non-essential cookies. The introduction of an “reject all” option that is displayed as prominently as the “accept all” button is a step in the right direction.
Internet users have a number of options to deal with cookies and data collecting on their end. They may disable third-party cookies in their browsers, clear cookies regularly, use extensions to bypass and deny cookie prompts automatically, or use different services, e.g., Brave Search instead of Google Search, Invidious instead of Youtube. Extensions like Privacy Redirects help with that automatically.
Now You: how do you handle cookie and data collections on the Internet?
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