Google postpones third-party cookie elimination in Chrome until 2025 as regulators question Privacy Sandbox’s competitive fairness and GDPR compliance.
Google’s fourth delay in eliminating third-party cookies reveals mounting tensions between privacy reforms and antitrust concerns. With Chrome commanding 67.2% browser share, regulators fear Privacy Sandbox tools may cement Google’s ad dominance while failing GDPR compliance tests, as 61% of advertisers halt cookie-replacement testing.
Browser Dominance Meets Regulatory Resistance
Google announced on June 25, 2024 it will delay third-party cookie deprecation in Chrome until 2025 – its fourth postponement since 2020. This decision impacts the $600B digital ad industry that relies on tracking, with Ars Technica noting Chrome’s 67% market share gives Google unique power to shape web standards.
Privacy Sandbox Under Microscope
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a Phase 2 review on June 28, demanding proof that Privacy Sandbox’s Topics API doesn’t favor Google’s ad stack. Irish Data Protection Commission’s preliminary findings suggest the system may violate GDPR’s purpose limitation principle through potential cross-site fingerprinting.
Industry Paralysis Deepens
IAB’s June 27 survey reveals 78% of publishers lack cookie-less monetization strategies. “This delay forces publishers into invasive workarounds,” said IAB Europe CEO Townsend Feehan. Advertisers report $12B annual losses from targeting inefficiencies as 61% pause testing alternative solutions.
Historical Precedents of Tech Dominance
Current antitrust scrutiny echoes Microsoft’s 1990s browser wars, where Internet Explorer’s dominance led to landmark litigation. Similarly, GDPR’s 2018 implementation forced industry-wide compliance shifts, though critics argue it solidified large platforms’ advantage through compliance resource requirements. The CMA’s unprecedented oversight role – mandating quarterly Privacy Sandbox reviews – could set new precedents for regulating tech infrastructure control.
