A few years ago, Google decided to replace third-party cookies in its Chrome browser (the browser with by far the largest user base), with the intention of offering the Privacy Sandbox as a replacement. Now, Google has announced an update to the Privacy Sandbox, indicating that it will now be an optional measure rather than replacing third-party cookies entirely, which is quite a turnaround from its previous strategy.
According to Google, the Privacy Sandbox is an attempt to improve user privacy while balancing the concerns of publishers and advertisers. Google hoped that it would convince all parties directly involved, seemingly set a new privacy standard, and eliminate its reliance on third-party cookies. Especially considering that at the time of writing, Google Chrome holds nearly two-thirds of the browser market share (according to StatCounter) was the goal to significantly change a key part of the way online advertising works.
Many media outlets are reporting this as a dramatic turnaround that could indicate that Google has lost confidence in its strategy, but Google itself admits (to a certain extent)This move was largely the result of perceived pressure from regulators, publishers, “advertising industry participants” (which, let’s face it, means advertisers getting paid) and other stakeholders.
The new optional status of the Privacy Sandbox
As it stands, Privacy Sandbox and third-party cookies will both be options that will coexist for users. Third-party cookies are a big thing when it comes to online advertising, as they are baked into the mechanics of the web and track users’ movements and behavior as they navigate different sites. This allows advertisers to make their ads more targeted and far more effective.
Google claims that it does not (directly) sell your cookie data, but it appears that it comes close to this goal in a roundabout way. PCWorld points out that Google’s practices, such as those involving third-party cookies, are the reason for much criticism, as websites are filled with hundreds of tracking points to collect data.
While the data itself may not be sold, companies like Google build collective profiles and identify very specific advertising targets that Doing and then sold to advertisers. This practice is sometimes seen in a very negative light, as it may have too much influence and a lack of respect for the privacy of individual users, which has earned companies like Google a reputation.
With third-party cookies, Google creates individual profiles of users, analyzes data on aspects such as demographics and interests, and then enables advertisers to target them accordingly. It also auctions off advertising space that it deems lucrative based on its data (as reported in this closer look at Google’s practices from the Electronic Frontier FoundationTo combat this, Google introduced the Privacy Sandbox to improve user privacy online in Chrome and Android apps.
Privacy Sandbox’s proposal was to replace the individual-cookie practice with semi-anonymous, broad blocks of users drawn from various demographics. PCWorld points out that current cookie tracking pretty much pinpoints and follows a specific individual, while Google’s new approach would potentially be more lenient with larger, cumulative blocks of cookies.
Privacy Sandbox: Dead in the Water or Lurking in the Deep?
Google is currently preparing to offer users both the option to continue allowing third-party cookies and the option to try the Privacy Sandbox. From now on, users can also switch from one to the other at any time, and the fact that Google hasn’t scrapped it altogether tells me that the search engine giant hasn’t been completely dissuaded from its mission. The choice isn’t available to users yet, and we don’t know when it will be, and Google has said that the Privacy Sandbox is still being reviewed with input from regulators, so it’s subject to change.
We also don’t know what this would look like for advertisers, and whether conventional third-party cookies would be distinguished from Privacy Sandbox information. We’ll have to wait and see if the Privacy Sandbox option is ever added to Chrome, but it seems like it has a long way to go to convince market competition and information regulators, advertisers, their fellow tech companies, and privacy advocates (among many others) before that happens.
If Google convinces all (or at least most) parties, third-party cookies may one day get some competition again. But until then, they’ll likely remain the status quo.