On September 7, Google Chrome made its built-in tracking and ad management platform, "Privacy Sandbox," generally available to users, as announced in a company blog post. Initially launched to a limited user group, it is now accessible to around 97% of users, with the remaining 3% expected to join in the coming months.
Privacy experts have raised concerns about this new tracking system. However, Google defended its implementation, citing the necessity to eliminate third-party cookies and fingerprinting. A substantial number of websites, over 80%, use Google's Adsense service to generate ads on their pages. Adsense employs cookies embedded in users' browsers to effectively target ads based on user behavior, tracking their activities across different websites. Since these cookies are generated by Google, they are commonly referred to as "third-party cookies."
Privacy advocates have criticized the use of third-party cookies, and some users actively seek ways to block them. Browsers like Apple's Safari, Mozilla's Firefox, and Brave already block third-party cookies by default. Chrome users can also opt to block these cookies through the browser's settings.
In a blog post from January 2020, Google argued that browsers should not automatically block third-party cookies until alternative tracking systems are established. They expressed concerns that blocking these cookies might encourage the use of intrusive alternatives like fingerprinting, which could reduce user privacy and control.
The recent announcement reiterated Google's position, emphasizing that without effective privacy-preserving alternatives to third-party cookies like Privacy Sandbox, access to information for users might diminish, potentially promoting intrusive tracking methods. Google Chrome's Privacy Sandbox, a new privacy-centric platform, allows user data to be tracked within the browser itself, aiming to enhance privacy by eliminating the need for third-party cookies. However, Google clarified that they won't begin blocking third-party cookies by default immediately.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital privacy advocacy group, has argued that early versions of the privacy sandbox didn't significantly enhance privacy, as they still tracked user behavior, albeit within the browser instead of through cookies. In certain respects, privacy sandboxes could even be more intrusive than third-party cookies, according to the group.
In the new Chrome interface, users can disable Privacy Sandbox through various settings in the Ad Privacy menu. Meanwhile, the Brave browser employs a platform called "Brave Ads" for tracking user behavior, which is turned off by default. Users who opt in receive compensation in Basic Attention Tokens (BAT) for viewing ads.
