Google's replacement of third-party tracking cookies, as well as one of the largest parts of its privacy sandbox initiative, has been delayed from 2022 to 2023.

Google announced on Thursday that it is delaying the large-scale rollout of its Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC) technology. Engadget notes that Google's Privacy Sandbox was originally announced in 2019, with a tentative target date of 2022 for Google's replacement of third-party cookies. Now, however, it appears the old method of tracking users won't be fully replaced until 2023.

According to the announcement, Google now plans to phase out cookies entirely in Chrome over a three-month period that is expected to end in the final months of 2023, noting that it needed more time to get the economics right. FLoC has been in testing in Chrome for a few months now, though Google plans to end testing for this original version on July 13.

“We believe the Privacy Sandbox will provide the best privacy protections for everyone,” Vinay Goel, privacy engineering director at Chrome, wrote in the announcement. “By ensuring the ecosystem can support their businesses without tracking individuals across the web, we can all help ensure that content remains free to access.”