Related Website Sets (RWS) are a new browser feature that aims to improve user experience and privacy by managing cookie access across related websites.
TL;DR
- Allows browsers to make smart decisions about cookie access, reducing disruptions for users.
- Enhances user experience by enabling seamless navigation between related sites.
- Accommodate country-specific variations through country code top-level domain subsets.
Web browsers like Google Chrome are increasingly blocking third-party cookies for privacy reasons. Third-party cookies are often used by organizations with multiple related websites to maintain a consistent user experience and shared identity across their different domains. However, the blocking of these cookies can disrupt this consistency and make it harder for these organizations to recognize users across their different sites.
To address this challenge, Google Chrome has introduced a feature called Related Website Sets. This feature allows organizations to declare relationships among their different websites. Once these relationships are declared, Chrome allows limited third-party cookie access under specific conditions. This means that even with third-party cookie blocking, these organizations can still maintain some level of shared identity and user experience across their different websites.
Benefits of Related Website Sets
The key benefit of Related Website Sets is that it strikes a balance between user privacy and user experience. It minimizes disruptions to user-facing features that rely on third-party cookies, while still respecting the privacy preferences of users who choose to block these cookies. This way, organizations can continue to provide a seamless user experience across their different websites without compromising user privacy.
Seamless User Experience
With Related Website Sets, users can move between related sites (for example, different country domains or variations of a service) without losing their preferences or needing to log in again. This makes the user experience smoother and more convenient.
Shared Identity
Related Website Sets allows organizations to maintain a single identity across all their domains. This is possible even as third-party cookies are being phased out. As a result, organizations can offer personalized experiences and maintain consistent branding across all their websites.
Flexibility
Related Website Sets is flexible and can accommodate different types of related sites. It does this through various “subset” categories. These categories can include country code domains (like .us, .uk, .in), service domains (like mail.google.com, drive.google.com for Google), and associated domains (like google.com and youtube.com for Google). This flexibility allows organizations to use Related Website Sets in a way that best suits their specific needs.
How Related Website Sets Works
Declare Relationships
Organizations start by submitting their related sites to a set. They specify the relationships and subsets that these sites belong to. This information is then stored in a public JSON file on GitHub. This is a way for organizations to publicly declare the relationships between their different websites.
Chrome Integration
Once the relationships are declared, Chrome checks this set against your website to determine if Related Website Sets should apply. If it determines that Related Website Sets applies, Chrome manages cookie access accordingly. This means that it will allow limited third-party cookie access for the sites in the set, based on the relationships and subsets that have been declared.
Storage Access API
Within a Related Website Sets, the Storage Access API allows cross-site content to request access to browser storage. This can enhance the user experience by avoiding unnecessary prompts. For example, a user might not need to re-enter their login details every time they visit a different site within the same Related Website Sets.
Automatic Permissions
Chrome automatically grants limited cookie access for sites within the same Related Website Sets. This reduces user friction, as users don’t need to manually allow cookie access for each site within the set. This makes the browsing experience smoother and more seamless.
Top-Level Control
Chrome also offers a feature called requestStorageAccessFor. This allows top-level sites to request storage access on behalf of specific embedded origins within the Related Website Sets. This provides further control to the organizations, allowing them to manage cookie access more granularly.
Actional Steps for Related Website Sets
Audit your site
The first step is to analyze your website’s usage of third-party cookies. This involves understanding how your site uses these cookies and identifying any potential disruptions that might occur due to Chrome’s blocking of third-party cookies. This could include disruptions to user experience, functionality, or performance.
Consider Related Website Sets
If your organization has multiple related websites that share user experiences (like maintaining user preferences or a single sign-on), you should consider using Related Website Sets. Related Website Sets can help maintain these shared experiences and functionalities even as third-party cookies are being phased out.
Submit your sites
If you decide to use Related Website Sets, the next step is to submit your related websites to a set. This involves following the submission guidelines provided by Google and adding your sites to a Related Website Sets set on the GitHub repository. This is how you declare the relationships between your websites to Chrome.
Explore resources
Finally, you should check out the documentation and demos provided by Google. These resources can help you understand more about how Related Website Sets works and how to use the Storage Access API. This can be particularly useful if you’re new to these concepts or if you’re looking for ways to optimize your use of Related Website Sets.
FAQs on Related Website Sets
1. What are Related Website Sets?
Related Website Sets are a feature in web browsers like Google Chrome that allows organizations with multiple related websites to manage cookie access. This enables a consistent user experience and shared identity across different domains, even as third-party cookies are being phased out.
2. Why were Related Website Sets introduced?
Related Website Sets were introduced to balance user privacy with user experience. As browsers increasingly block third-party cookies for privacy reasons, Related Website Sets helps organizations maintain a seamless user experience and shared identity across their different sites without compromising user privacy.
3. How do Related Website Sets enhance user experience?
Related Website Sets enable users to navigate between related sites seamlessly, without losing preferences or needing to log in repeatedly. This makes the browsing experience smoother and more convenient.
4. What is the impact of Related Website Sets on user privacy?
Related Website Sets respect user privacy by limiting third-party cookie access and adhering to privacy preferences of users. They ensure organizations can offer a personalized experience without unnecessary tracking.
5. How do organizations declare their website relationships for Related Website Sets?
Organizations submit their related sites to a set, specifying the relationships and subsets. This information is stored in a public JSON file on GitHub, publicly declaring the relationships.
6. How does Chrome integrate with Related Website Sets?
Chrome checks the declared relationships against a website. If Related Website Sets applies, Chrome manages cookie access accordingly, allowing limited third-party cookie access based on the declared relationships.
7. What is the Storage Access API in the context of Related Website Sets?
The Storage Access API within Related Website Sets allows cross-site content to request access to browser storage, enhancing user experience by avoiding unnecessary prompts and re-logins.
8. What is automatic permissions in Related Website Sets?
Chrome automatically grants limited cookie access for sites within the same Related Website Sets, reducing user friction and making the browsing experience more seamless.
9. What is the role of 'requestStorageAccessFor' in Related Website Sets?
The 'requestStorageAccessFor' feature in Chrome allows top-level sites to request storage access on behalf of specific embedded origins within the Related Website Sets, giving organizations granular control over cookie access.
10. What are the initial steps for implementing Related Website Sets on a website?
First, audit your site’s use of third-party cookies to understand potential disruptions. Then, if applicable, consider using Related Website Sets for your organization’s related websites and submit your sites to a Related Website Sets set on GitHub.
11. Where can more information and resources on Related Website Sets be found?
Google provides documentation and demos to help understand Related Website Sets and the use of the Storage Access API. These resources are beneficial for optimizing the use of Related Website Sets and understanding its technical aspects.
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