Chrome’s website data settings once again exempted Google websites`.

Tests in September 2026 showed that the setting in the Chrome browser to “delete cookies and website data when closing the browser” is ineffective for Google’s websites. This issue was previously identified by developers in 2020, when services such as Google Search and YouTube retained data even after users closed their browsers. Although Google has since fixed this flaw, it reappeared six years later, becoming the only exception. Tests confirmed that website data remained even when no Google services were logged in, indicating that the default settings circumvented users’ privacy restrictions.