The search giant Google has once again postponed the plan of eliminating cookies from its Chrome browser. It was supposed to begin in 2022 and delayed to 2024; however, the phase-out has been further delayed to 2025. This is not an isolated case, and the ongoing feedback as well as the regulatory pressure, mainly from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), have played a role in this decision. 

Reasons for the Delay

There are numerous factors that have informed Google’s decision to postpone the third-party cookie Phase-out including the feedback from the industry and the regulations. Key factors include: 

Industry Feedback: 

 All the developers, publishers, and marketers have requested Google to provide them with more time to conduct their tests and evaluations of the Privacy Sandbox technologies that the company proposed. We have gathered a lot of feedbacks within the company and all of them has shown that the industry is not prepared for the shift. 

Regulatory Scrutiny: 

 The CMA has a significant part in the delay, as it needs more time to analyze evidence and check whether Google’s new solutions are sufficient to eliminate the competition issues. This is because Google wants to ensure that it is on the right side of the law and that its Privacy Sandbox initiative is in line with what the CMA expects. 

Technical and Practical Challenges: 

This depends on the technical challenge of how to provide a privacy-first solution to the use of third-party cookies. Google wants to make sure that these new solutions are strong and integrated to the general system before making the change. 

 Privacy Sandbox Initiative 

The Privacy Sandbox is Google’s proposal to eliminate third-party cookies and instead utilize new technologies that respect people’s privacy. Some of the key components include:

Topics API: 

This is done to replace cookies that track users with cookies that identify users’ interests without tracking them in detail.

Fenced Frames: 

Enables more secure advertising in narrow frames, specifically ones that are not interconnected. 

Attribution Reporting:

Shows how it is possible to calculate the effectiveness of ads without compromising the users’ privacy. 

Industry Reaction

 People in the advertising industry have expressed different sentiments over the matter, and this is due to the delay. Some view it as a way of avoiding hiccups in the middle of the transition process while others are apprehensive due to overreliance on third-party cookies. Critics said that the Privacy Sandbox may hinder the competition of smaller companies as it would give Google more power. 

Looking Forward

 For the extended timeline, Google has aims to scale up Privacy Sandbox trials to millions of users worldwide before early August 2024. It plans on making generally available APIs by Q3 of 2023, with a gradual release in preparation for the removal of third-party cookies by H2 of 2025.