Is Google ending the Privacy Sandbox for Chrome?
Google’s Privacy Sandbox aimed to replace third-party cookies with privacy-focused ad tech inside browsers, balancing user privacy and digital advertising.
However, as confirmed in the latest Google Privacy Sandbox news, Google has shut down most privacy sandbox technologies due to low adoption and complex industry feedback. This means Chrome will not phase out third-party cookies, reversing its earlier plan.
Technologies retired:
Topics API, Protected Audience, Attribution Reporting, Private Aggregation, Related Website Sets, SDK Runtime, On-Device Personalisation, IP Protection, Select URL, and Protected App Signals.
Technologies retained:
- CHIPS (Cookies Having Independent Partitioned State): Enables privacy-safe cookies across embedded content.
- FedCM (Federated Credential Management): Allows secure sign-ins without sharing identifiers.
- Private State Tokens: Verify legitimate interactions without revealing identity, helping reduce fraud.
As a result, Chrome third-party cookies remain, and websites must still obtain user consent under laws like the GDPR and ePrivacy Directive.
