Google’s backtrack on its promise to kill tracking cookies last year created a huge furor. But all seems to have gone rather quiet since then. In the background, there are all kinds of standoffs as no one can agree on what should happen next. Meanwhile, Google has suddenly brought back digital fingerprinting for some added spice.

A new policy for Chrome Sync will see Google disable the functionality if you haven't updated your browser recently enough.

Google will phase out Chrome Sync for browser versions older than 4 years (pre-2021) in 2025. A modern, automatic sync model (introduced August 2023) replaces the outdated 2009 system, eliminating manual setup.

After a rash of negative security headlines concerning Chrome browser extensions being used for 2FA bypass, Google has responded with a surprise new Web Store.