Google keeps promising to phase out third-party cookies in Chrome, but fails to do so. The company vowed to push this forward by 2024. We did get some when Google disabled cookies, but those efforts have stalled. Now the company says so.
It’s easy to drag Google for this, but it’s not entirely in the company’s hands. The tech giant is working closely with the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to ensure that any tools it implements to replace the cookie’s tracking and measurement functions are not anti-competitive. These tools are collectively known as the “Privacy Sandbox” and Google says it will have to wait until the CMA has “sufficient time to review the results of industry testing”, which will be available by the end of June.
Google’s Privacy Sandbox has caused some controversy in recent years. The proposed tools are being used by adtech companies, publishers and advertising agencies on the grounds that they are difficult to use, do not sufficiently replace traditional cookies and give too much power to Google. To that end, the company said it recognizes “ongoing challenges related to reconciling diverse feedback from the industry, regulators and developers.” This is another reason for the delay until next year.
The CMA is not the only regulator keeping an eye on the current version of these privacy sandbox tools. The UK-based Information Commissioner’s Office has produced a report suggesting these tools could be used by advertisers to identify consumers. .
Despite the complaints about Privacy Sandbox, advertisers want cookies to be acknowledged. Drew Stein, CEO of adtech data company Audigent, told Engadget that it’s time for Google to “deliver on the promise of a better ecosystem” by implementing its plans to eliminate third-party cookies.
The CMA, on the other hand, has signaled its willingness to leave third-party cookies in play, particularly if Google’s solution does more harm than good. Craig Jenkins, director of digital markets at the CMA, recently said the organization would delay implementing privacy sandbox tools if “we are not satisfied that we can address the concerns.” . We’ll see what happens in 2025.
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