Google has long envisioned a post-cookie world (in the browsing sense, not dietary), but it appears the company is reevaluating its confidence in reshaping the internet, possibly due to regulatory pressures.
Instead of fully replacing cookies, Google’s Privacy Sandbox will now coexist as an optional feature alongside traditional cookies.
From a user perspective, this may seem unclear, but Google’s attempt to eliminate third-party cookies across the web was a significant endeavor. Tracking user behavior from site to site enables profitable targeted advertising, predominantly facilitated through cookies.
However, the misuse of cookies—with websites embedding hundreds of tracking points per page and constructing user profiles that disregard privacy—has drawn regulatory scrutiny. This led to GDPR cookie consent messages becoming ubiquitous, even beyond Europe.
Google’s Privacy Sandbox aimed to address this by replacing individual user cookies with broad groups of semi-anonymous users categorized by various demographic factors. This compromise sought to balance the current tracking technology, which can identify and track individual users, and a more privacy-centric approach like Apple’s cookie block for third-party apps on iOS.
Predictably, Privacy Sandbox fell short: it didn’t satisfy privacy advocates and wasn’t effective enough for advertisers. Regulators also opposed Google’s idea of developing a proprietary system that could become a de facto standard due to Chrome’s vast market share. Other browser makers, including Microsoft and Apple, did not support Privacy Sandbox, with browsers like Brave and Vivaldi actively rejecting it.
Despite Google’s claim that Privacy Sandbox APIs enhanced privacy and worked for publishers and advertisers, the company is now stepping back from its plan to eliminate third-party cookies in Chrome.
Google Vice President Anthony Chavez stated:
“Instead of deprecating third-party cookies, we would introduce a new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing, and they’d be able to adjust that choice at any time. We’re discussing this new path with regulators, and will engage with the industry as we roll this out.”
Google’s blog post did not specify when this choice will be available, how advertisers will differentiate between conventional cookies and Privacy Sandbox, or how the issues with Sandbox will be resolved.
While Google promotes “elevating user choice,” the reality is that people are unlikely to abandon a longstanding system (despite its flaws) for a Google-only solution. Google’s strategy to enforce Privacy Sandbox through Chrome’s dominance failed to gain traction with advertisers and attracted more regulatory scrutiny. It’s essentially dead on arrival, if it ever reaches a broad rollout.
