Google and Chrome pledge to crack down on snooping third-party web cookies

Google said Tuesday that it plans to limit the way in which Chrome accepts third-party cookies that sites inject into the browser, while leaving first-party cookies in place to facilitate moving around the web.Google also said that it would actively reduce the number of ways sites “fingerprint” you, or track you around the web. Finally, it plans to publish an open-source cross-browser extension that summarizes information for each ad that Chrome displays to a user.The distinction between first- and third-party cookies is a subtle one, though important. First-party cookies—small snippets of code, stored in your browser—are often cookies you explicitly want, such as storing preferences for a particular site or service. Some sites—including PCWorld—embed third-party cookies into their site HTML to benefit advertisers.To read this article in full, please click here