Google Revises Privacy Sandbox Plans Amid Antitrust Ruling

Google this week dropped immoderate features from its Privacy Sandbox initiative, which was initiated successful 2019 and intends to trim nan invasiveness of third-party cookies successful nan Chrome browser.

The ongoing saga of a Google unafraid browsing task took yet different turn, pinch nan latest alteration coming conscionable a fewer days aft nan institution mislaid an antitrust suit against nan US government.

Google this week dropped immoderate features from its Privacy Sandbox initiative, which was initiated successful 2019 and intends to trim nan invasiveness of third-party cookies successful nan Chrome browser.

The institution said it won’t supply a circumstantial punctual that would let Chrome users to opt successful aliases retired of cookies from 3rd parties. That was a cardinal characteristic of nan task that made it easier for users to unafraid Chrome experiences.

The first nonsubjective of Privacy Sandbox successful 2019 was to driblet third-party advertisement cookies for amended browser security.

That thought was dropped last year amid regulatory concerns. Third-party cookies were reinstated, and Google besides said it provides “a caller acquisition successful Chrome” for users to beryllium capable to set their third-party cooky choices.

This week Google dropped that idea, saying it wouldn’t rotation retired nan alleged “new experience” — a caller standalone punctual for third-party cookies for users to opt successful aliases opt retired of cookies from 3rd parties.

“Users tin proceed to take nan champion action for themselves successful Chrome’s Privacy and Security Settings,” wrote Anthony Chavez, vice president for nan Privacy Sandbox initiative, successful nan blog entry.

Chavez wrote that nan alteration came amid changes successful nan regulatory scenery and browsing experiences.

Google past week mislaid a lawsuit against nan US, which accused nan institution of violating antitrust rule “by monopolizing open-web integer advertizing markets.”

Google said it would entreaty nan ruling.

The US Department of Justice primitively accused Google of “wielding its power crossed integer advertizing markets to unit much publishers and advertisers to usage its products,” according to a property release successful 2023.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation past year, successful a blog entry, criticized Privacy Sandbox, saying it didn’t destruct online tracking.

Instead, online search moved from third-party trackers to Google, which tracks nan information from Chrome and shares browsing habits pinch websites and advertisers.

“Despite sounding for illustration a characteristic that protects your privacy, Privacy Sandbox yet protects Google’s advertizing business,” EFF wrote.

Chavez reaffirmed it won’t deprecate third-party cookies. The institution will prosecute pinch developers, publishers and advertisers to amended nan Privacy Sandbox roadmap.

Either way, Google’s reversal of Privacy Sandbox plans still points to nan institution chasing a closed ecosystem that serves nan company’s business interests, said Anand Kashyap, CEO and Founder of Fortanix.

Advertisers and media companies will usage AI successful their ain unafraid systems that tin analyse information to present targeted advertizing connected nan Internet, Kashyap said.

Google is besides adding a characteristic successful nan 3rd 4th this twelvemonth that will protect nan IP reside erstwhile successful unafraid mode of Chrome browser.

Typically users tin beryllium located by capturing and search nan IP address. The characteristic will anonymize nan IP address, and it will beryllium portion of nan Incognito mode, which creates a impermanent browsing model that deletes browsing information connected exit, Google said successful a blog post connected its Privacy Sandbox website.

“The characteristic will beryllium initially disposable successful definite regions, and we scheme to grow nan readiness complete time. IP Protection will motorboat to Chrome Stable nary sooner than July 2025,” Google said connected nan GitHub page for IP Protection.

Chrome’s IP reside anonymization characteristic could beryllium important for endeavor users, said Anshel Sag, main expert astatine Moor Insights and Strategy.

“It’s intelligibly Google trying to heighten nan information of Incognito mode and much importantly heighten nan privateness of a mode that group presume is inherently private,” Sag said.

In position of privacy, Google’s IP Protection characteristic could artifact personification IP entree for 3rd parties but not for their ain services aliases needs, said Alex Matrosov, CEO of information patient Binarly.io.

Google is attempting to adopt a akin attack to Apple’s Private Relay feature, which besides hides IP addresses and has posed important challenges for net advertisers, including Google itself.