The Storage Access API is relevant to user agents that, by default, block access to third-party cookies to improve privacy (for example, to prevent tracking). There are legitimate uses for third-party cookies that we still want to enable
Do all of the four browsers block access to third-party cookies by default?
By default, Firefox is confining cookies to the site where they were created since 2023. Exceptions are granted through the Storage Access API, however this requires the user to interact with the third-party content (tap or click).
Safari implements "Full Third-Party Cookie Blocking", under their overall banner of "Intelligent Tracking Protection".
That leaves us with Edge and Chrome. Both browsers are listed as supporting Storage Access API.
I presume Microsoft Edge matches the above, because it has made various anti-tracking efforts, and it can hurt Google (much more than it hurts Microsoft).
Google Chrome recently rolled out the Topics API to support behavioural advertising even without third-party cookies. At that point, users were given two new options to control. One option is asked for when the browser is first run, and a second option is hidden in the settings.
Is it really the case that cookies in third-party ads are blocked in all four browsers? Does all behavioural advertising now have to work by alternative methods, such as the Topics API, fingerprinting, interactive third-party content, native apps, etc?
