Google LLC is scaling back its ambitious Privacy Sandbox initiative, which was launched in 2019 with the intent of reducing the advertising industry's reliance on third-party cookies. This announcement was made by Anthony Chavez, the vice president of Privacy Sandbox, in a blog post published on April 22, 2025. The original goal of the initiative was to phase out third-party cookies in Chrome by 2022, a plan that faced numerous delays and was ultimately scrapped in July 2024.
Third-party cookies are small files that advertisers place on users' devices to track their browsing history across various websites. This technology allows advertisers to gather data on user behavior, enabling them to deliver personalized ads. However, it has also raised significant privacy concerns, as it allows for extensive tracking of individuals' online activities.
Google's decision to abandon the plan to eliminate third-party cookies comes amid growing scrutiny from regulators, particularly in the U.K. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) expressed concerns that blocking third-party cookies would harm competitors in the advertising technology market. After a thorough investigation, the CMA concluded its probe in 2023 after Google made several antitrust commitments.
In the wake of scrapping its initial plans, Google shifted its strategy to introduce an opt-out tool that would allow Chrome users to manually disable third-party cookies. However, in the latest announcement, Chavez confirmed that Google will no longer proceed with this effort. "The adoption of privacy-enhancing technologies has accelerated, new opportunities to safeguard and secure people’s browsing experiences with AI have emerged, and the regulatory landscape around the world has evolved considerably," Chavez stated. "Taking all of these factors into consideration, we’ve made the decision to maintain our current approach to offering users third-party cookie choice in Chrome, and will not be rolling out a new standalone prompt for third-party cookies."
This shift marks a significant departure from Google's earlier commitments to enhance user privacy. Critics of the Privacy Sandbox project have pointed out that Google's technology could give it an unfair advantage in the advertising market. James Rosewell, co-founder of Movement for an Open Web, commented on the implications of the decision, stating, "This is an admission by Google that the Privacy Sandbox project is all but over. Google’s intention was to remove open and interoperable communications standards to bring digital advertising traffic under their sole control, and with this announcement, that aim is now over."
While the complete abandonment of the Privacy Sandbox initiative is concerning for privacy advocates, some components of the project will still be developed. For instance, the IP Protection feature, which aims to protect users' IP addresses from third parties while in Incognito mode, is still on track for deployment in Q3 2025. However, the overall future of the Privacy Sandbox APIs remains uncertain.
Privacy advocates have expressed disappointment in Google's decision to backtrack on its promises. The Electronic Frontier Foundation criticized the tech giant for continuing to compromise user privacy, leaving billions of Chrome users vulnerable to online surveillance. Lena Cohen, a staff technologist at the foundation, remarked, "Google continues to backtrack on its privacy promises, leaving billions of Chrome users vulnerable to online surveillance. Last July, Google abandoned its long-delayed plan to deprecate third-party cookies in Chrome, opting instead to prompt users to choose whether or not to be tracked by third-party cookies."
Despite Google's claims of enhancing user choice, critics argue that even the proposed user-choice prompt would have fallen short of the privacy protections offered by other browsers, such as Safari and Firefox, which have blocked third-party cookies by default since 2020. These browsers recognize the widespread privacy harms associated with third-party cookies and have taken steps to protect their users.
As the landscape of online advertising continues to evolve, the implications of Google's decision extend beyond user privacy. The tech giant's dominance in the advertising market has raised alarms among competitors and regulators alike, leading to an ongoing debate about the balance between innovation and consumer protection. With the abandonment of the Privacy Sandbox, it appears that the status quo of third-party cookies will persist, much to the relief of some in the advertising industry.
In a world increasingly concerned about privacy, Google's retreat from its Privacy Sandbox initiative underscores the challenges tech companies face in navigating regulatory pressures while trying to innovate. As the company prepares to share an updated roadmap for its remaining privacy technologies in the coming months, the industry will be watching closely to see how it addresses the concerns raised by both regulators and privacy advocates.
