GoKawiilChrome again keeps Google.com cookies despite user's delete-on-close setting
A researcher who previously exposed a similar Chrome bug in 2019 has found that Chrome version 152.0.7977.83 again exempts google.com from the 'delete site data on close' setting, letting Google cookies, local storage, and session storage persist after all windows are closed and even after relaunching the browser. The behavior was reproduced on two Macs, with sign-in and default search engine ruled out as causes, and appears specific to www.google.com.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Chrome is the world's most widely used browser, and Google controls both its development and the ad-tech ecosystem that benefits from persistent tracking data on its own domains, creating an obvious conflict of interest even if unintentional. A recurrence of the same bug years after it was first fixed raises questions about Chrome's testing practices and reinforces distrust among privacy-conscious users who rely on browser settings to limit tracking.
- Chrome exempts google.com from users' site-data auto-delete settings, letting Google cookies survive browser closure.
- The same bug was reported and fixed six years ago, suggesting it has resurfaced in a later Chrome version.
- The issue was verified independently of sign-in status and default search engine settings, pointing to a Chrome-side flaw.
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Published there as: “Chrome again exempts Google from user site data settings”
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