Privacy Sandbox, Google’s attempt to create an alternative to cookies, looks like it has reached the end of the line. The company has announced that it is discontinuing 11 Privacy Sandbox technologies — pretty much the entire gamut. Privacy Sandbox VP Anthony Chavez said in a blog post that the team had reached the decision “after evaluating ecosystem feedback about their expected value and in light of their low levels of adoption.”
Google launched the Privacy Sandbox initiative in August 2019 as a way for advertisers to gain information on users without the need to support third-party cookies. It met much criticism from the industry. Google’s dreams of a cookie-free future took a blow after the UK’s Competition and Market Authority announced that it was instigating an anti-trust investigation as to whether Google was abusing its dominant position in the browser market. It was an initiative that was followed up by a number of US states, each of whom is pursuing its own anti-trust case.
This legal pressure eventually told. In July of last year, Google backtracked on its insistence that Privacy Sandbox would be the dominant privacy technology on Chrome. The CMA gave a guarded response to this and said that it was still seeking further commitments from Google. In April, the company made more concessions and now, this latest move seems to have satisfied all anti-trust concerns.
However, the lack of take-up of Privacy Sandbox would probably have had more of part in its discontinuation.
Poor adoption
According to Javvad Malik, lead CISO advisor at software company KnowBe4, “Low uptake is a useful signal. It suggests the Sandbox bundle didn’t deliver enough measurable value versus operational complexity and risk. When incentives, tooling, and accountability aren’t aligned, even ‘privacy‑preserving’ tech struggles to gain adoption.”
He said that while he could see why Google would want an alternative to cookies, there was a technical requirement too. “As for the cookie alternative, something being technically viable isn’t the same as adaptable. Tools need to be built with the users in mind. If there is too much friction with inconsistent APIs and uncertain ROI, many teams will struggle to adopt.
The technologies Google is discontinuing are: Attribution Reporting API for both Chrome and Android, IP Protection, Protected Audience API for Chrome and Android, Protected App Signals, On Device Personalization, Related Website Sets, Private Aggregation (including Shared Storage), Select URL, SDK Runtime and Topics for both Chrome and Android.
It is unlikely that the Privacy Sandbox decision will have a marked effect on Google’s dominance of the browser market. Chrome had a 72-percent share of the browser market in September, according to Statcounter. However, it looks likely that Google’s attempts to incorporate Privacy Sandbox technologies in future web standards will be discontinued. As Malik said “Standardisation is possible, but only where there’s multi‑stakeholder legitimacy. Without broad buy‑in from browsers, regulators, and publishers, “web standards” risk looking like vendor standards.”
What is not clear is what will happen to those companies that have been implementing Privacy Sandbox technologies within their own organizations.
A Google spokesman said, “We will be continuing our work to improve privacy across Chrome, Android and the web, but moving away from the Privacy Sandbox branding. We’re grateful to everyone who contributed to this initiative, and will continue to collaborate with the industry to develop and advance platform technologies that help support a healthy and thriving web.”
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