Google has abandoned its plan to block third-party cookies from its Chrome browser, four years after announcing it would do so, in a move that bolsters digital advertisers' position.The tech giant revealed in a surprise blog post that it had decided not to remove third-party cookies. Cookies are small files stored on computer, that allow sites to gather information and track activities; they are very often used by digital marketers to build up profiles of potential customers, who are then targeted with specific advertising.The mailing industry had celebrated Google’s plan to cut third-party cookies – those not hosted on Google’s own system – as part of a drive to greater privacy on the internet. The logic was that the less digital advertisers know about their audience, the stronger physical mail becomes as a marketing channel. Google’s u-turn, and decision to build a third-party cookie system that will operate alongside its own and give users an “informed choice”, might therefore be seen as a setback to mailers.