Google keeps promising to phase out third-party cookies in Chrome, but it actually doesn't. The company pledged to push to 2024. We got some when Google disabled cookies, but those efforts stalled. Now, the company says so. .
It's easy to drag Google over this, but it's not entirely in the company's hands. The tech giant is working closely with the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to ensure that any tools it deploys to replace the cookie's tracking and measurement capabilities are not anti-competitive. These tools are collectively known as Privacy Sandbox and Google says it has to wait until the CMA has had “sufficient time to review” the industry test results due to be provided at the end of June.
Google's Privacy Sandbox has sparked some controversy in recent years. The tools proposed by advertising technology companies, publishers and advertising agencies argue that they are difficult to operate, do not adequately replace traditional cookies and give too much power to Google. To that end, the company said it recognizes “the current challenges related to reconciling divergent feedback from industry, regulators and developers.” This is another reason given for the delay until next year.
The CMA is not the only regulatory agency to ignore the current version of these Privacy Sandbox tools. The UK-based Information Commissioner's Office produced a report indicating that advertisers could use these tools to identify consumers. .
Those in the advertising industry want to see cookies despite complaints about Privacy Sandbox. Drew Stein, CEO of Audigent, ad tech data companytold 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 indicated its willingness to keep third-party cookies in place, particularly if Google's solution does more harm than good. Craig Jenkins, the CMA's director of digital markets, recently said the organization would delay the rollout of Privacy Sandbox tools if “we are not satisfied that we can resolve the concerns.” . We will see what happens in 2025.
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