When you visit a website to read an article or buy a pair of shoes, you expect that website to remember your shopping cart or your login status. The website accomplishes this by saving a tiny text file called a “first-party cookie” to your computer. This is a standard and necessary part of the modern web.
However, when you visit that same shoe website, there are often hidden trackers belonging to advertising networks and data brokers loaded in the background. These invisible trackers also save text files to your computer, known as “third-party cookies.” These cookies follow you as you browse across the internet, building a massive, hidden profile of your browsing habits so they can bombard you with hyper-targeted advertisements on completely unrelated websites.
If you want to take back control of your privacy, the easiest step is to block these trackers. This guide explains how to disable third-party cookies in Google Chrome.
How to Block Third-Party Cookies
Google Chrome allows you to universally block all third-party cookies without breaking the first-party cookies that keep your favorite websites functioning normally.
- Open the Google Chrome browser.
- Click the three vertical dots (the customize and control menu) in the extreme top right corner of the window.
- From the drop-down menu, click on Settings.
- In the left-hand navigation sidebar, click on Privacy and security.
- In the main panel, look for and click on Third-party cookies.
- You will be presented with three distinct options for handling cookies. Select the option labeled Block third-party cookies.
Understanding the Privacy Implications
Once you select this option, the change takes effect immediately across your entire browser profile.
What to expect:
- Less Creepy Advertising: If you look at a blender on Amazon, you will no longer see advertisements for that exact blender following you to a news website ten minutes later. Advertising networks can no longer seamlessly track your movements between domains.
- Potential Breakages: A small minority of poorly designed websites rely on third-party cookies for legitimate functionality (e.g., an embedded comment section hosted by a different domain). If a website breaks, look for the “eye” icon with a slash through it in the address bar. You can click this icon to temporarily allow third-party cookies just for that specific site while continuing to block them everywhere else.
By enabling this single setting, you significantly reduce the amount of personal data being silently harvested by advertising networks while you browse the internet.