Google ‘can’t proceed with third-party cookie deprecation’

Google can’t proceed with third-party cookie deprecation till it resolves issues raised by the UK’s Competitors and Markets Authority (CMA).

The search engine must do extra to deal with points raised round its proposed Privateness Sandbox modifications or else it won’t be able to deprecate third-party cookies from Chrome within the second half of 2024 as deliberate.

Why we care. Manufacturers would possibly acquire additional time to discover alternate options to third-party cookies if Google is pressured to delay their deprecation to deal with the CMA’s issues. Nevertheless, entrepreneurs shouldn’t presume a delay, as there’s nonetheless time for Google to resolve these points.

What’s Google’s Privateness Sandbox? Google is introducing the Privateness Sandbox program as a substitute for third-party cookies to allow advertisers to ship focused advertisements in Chrome whereas minimizing improper cross-site and cross-app monitoring. As per Google’s Privateness Sandbox documentation:

• “The Privateness Sandbox initiative goals to create applied sciences that each defend individuals’s privateness on-line and provides firms and builders instruments to construct thriving digital companies.”

CMA report. The CMA revealed a report detailing its ongoing competitors issues concerning Google’s Privateness Sandbox, together with:

• Google could proceed to learn from consumer exercise knowledge whereas limiting rivals’ entry to the identical knowledge.
• Google’s capacity to manage the inclusion of advert tech rivals on this checklist may benefit its advert tech companies.
• Publishers and advertisers could also be much less capable of successfully establish fraudulent exercise.

Subsequent steps. The CMA is working with Google to resolve these points and can report on the every engine’s progress in its subsequent quarterly replace which is due on the finish of April.

Progress thus far. Though the CMA said that Google nonetheless has work to do, the report confirmed that within the final quarter of 2023, the search engine fulfilled its commitments to creating competitors fairer.

What the Competitors and Markets Authority is saying. A spokesperson for the the UK’s Competitors and Markets Authority mentioned in an announcement:

• “In Q1 2024, we are going to deal with working with Google to resolve the competitors issues we now have recognized on this report.”
• “We’re significantly eager on resolving any remaining issues regarding the design of the Privateness Sandbox instruments and to make sure that Google doesn’t use the instruments in a method that self-preferences its personal promoting companies.”
• “As a part of this, we’re additionally seeking to make clear the longer-term governance preparations for the Privateness Sandbox. We might welcome feedback from events on our evaluation of the issues in order that we will take these into consideration in our discussions with Google between now and the Standstill Interval.”

What Google is saying. A Google spokesperson informed Search Engine Land:

• “We proceed to maneuver ahead with our plans to part out third-party cookies in H2 2024, topic to addressing any remaining competitors issues from the UK CMA.”
• “We’re assured the trade could make the transition in 2024 primarily based on all of the super progress we’ve seen from main firms.”

Deep dive. Learn the Competitors and Markets Authority report in full for extra data.