What you need to know
- Google’s plan to eliminate third-party cookie trackers has been postponed until next year.
- The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has raised concerns about Google’s new technology, Privacy Sandbox, potentially favoring Google and disrupting competition.
- This isn’t the first time Google has postponed its cookie removal plan. It is the third delay since the biennium was first announced in January 2020.
Google’s plan to eliminate third-party cookie trackers is on hold until next year.
Google has already pushed for the abolition of third-party cookies several times. This time, the search giant is blaming the industry and regulatory backlash. Google must first seek approval from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to ensure its new technology, called Privacy Sandbox, does not harm competition.
The company had originally planned to eliminate third-party cookies in Chrome by the end of this year, but is now targeting early 2025. But it’s not set in stone yet. Google is keeping its fingers crossed that it can reach an agreement with both the CMA and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) before things can really get started.
The CMA in particular is concerned about the impact the devaluation will have on Google’s competitors and the industry as a whole.
Google has also faced some criticism from advertisers sweating over the thought of losing third-party cookies in the world’s most popular browser. They are worried about what this could mean for their wallets.
News of the delay comes just before Google and the CMA release their quarterly reports.
“We recognize that there are ongoing challenges related to balancing diverse feedback from the industry, regulators and developers, and will continue to work closely with the entire ecosystem,” Google said in a statement on its Privacy Sandbox website . “It is also important that the CMA has sufficient time to consider all evidence, including the results of industry tests, which the CMA has requested from market participants by the end of June.”
This isn’t the first time Google has hit the pause button on its original plan. Back in January 2020, the company announced that it would abandon third-party cookies “within two years” to make internet surfing safer for everyone. However, this is the third time there has been a delay.
In 2022, the CMA said that removing these third-party cookies from Google Chrome would unbalance the competition and give Google an unfair advantage. Regulators asked the company to come up with a new plan that doesn’t tip the scales in its favor.
Google has tried to be nice and meet all of the CMA’s requirements, but to be honest it hasn’t quite managed to iron out all the wrinkles.
With the vague promise of a 2025 launch, there’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding Google’s efforts to eliminate third-party cookies. And honestly, it feels like we’re all just waiting for the other shoe to drop.