The business now claims that it will take place in 2019.
Google has been making empty promises about gradually removing third-party cookies from Chrome. When it first announced its plan to phase out cookies in 2020, the business pushed that timeframe back to 2023 and then 2024. When Google blocked cookies for 1% of Chrome users early this year, we did see some progress, but since then, our efforts have stagnated. According to the corporation, it won’t occur until the next year.
Although it’s simple to blame Google for this, the firm isn’t solely to blame. In order to make sure that any tools it uses to replace the tracking and measurement capabilities of cookies don’t violate anti-competitive laws, the tech giant is closely collaborating with the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The Privacy Sandbox is the aggregate name for these tools, and Google claims that it must wait until the CMA has had “sufficient time to review” the results of industry tests, which are expected to be made available by the end of June.
In recent years, there has been some debate around Google’s Privacy Sandbox. Adtech firms, publishers, and ad agencies have voiced concerns about the new capabilities, claiming that they are hard to use, don’t fully replace traditional cookies, and give Google excessive authority. In light of this, the business acknowledged that it has “continuing challenges related to reconciling divergent feedback from the industry, regulators, and developers.” An further justification for delaying till next year is this.
Not just the CMA, but other regulatory bodies are also taking issue with the Privacy Sandbox tools as they stand as they are. As the Wall Street Journal reported, the UK-based Information Commissioner’s Office wrote a report suggesting that advertisers may use these technologies to identify consumers.
Ad industry people want cookies to be phased out, even in spite of Privacy Sandbox protests. According to Drew Stein, CEO of adtech analytics company Audigent, Google needs to “deliver on the promise of a better ecosystem” by carrying out its intentions to do away with third-party cookies
However, the CMA has stated that it is willing to continue using third-party cookies, especially if Google’s approach proves to be counterproductive. According to Adweek, Craig Jenkins, the CMA’s director of digital markets, recently stated that if “we’re not satisfied we can resolve the concerns,” the organisation will postpone implementing Privacy Sandbox technologies. In 2025, we’ll see what transpires.