Google has decided not to implement a new standalone prompt for third-party cookies in Chrome, maintaining its current approach to user choice regarding these cookies. This decision marks a significant reversal from the Chrome team's previous plans to phase out third-party cookies, announced in July last year. Anthony Chavez, VP of Privacy Sandbox at Google, stated that users can still manage their cookie preferences through Chrome’s Privacy and Security Settings.
Despite this setback for the Privacy Sandbox initiative, Google will continue certain projects, such as IP Protection for Chrome Incognito users, expected to launch in Q3. Chavez noted that the decision was influenced by industry feedback, highlighting differing opinions on changes affecting third-party cookie availability. Google plans to engage with the industry for feedback and will provide an updated roadmap for Privacy Sandbox technologies in the coming months.
Criticism arose following the latest Privacy Sandbox progress report, which acknowledged technical challenges, particularly regarding attribution. While some participants like Criteo-owned BidSwitch and Index Exchange continued experimenting with proposed APIs, feedback indicated that the 1:1 design of the system conflicts with the multi-party nature of ad tech, limiting scalability and real-time data processing. Publishers have also been reluctant to adopt the Sandbox, focusing instead on immediate revenue through header bidding, compounded by issues like latency and limited video support, which have stalled experimentation within the Sandbox.
