Google scraps new cookie prompt in Chrome
Table of Contents
Google’s decision to maintain third-party cookies without a new consent prompt exposes limitations in its Privacy Sandbox alternatives.
Google unexpectedly decided not to implement a new standalone prompt for third-party cookies in Chrome, allowing ad tech companies to continue using this targeting technology in the world’s most popular web browser.
“We’ve made the decision to maintain our current approach to offering users third-party cookie choice in Chrome, and will not be rolling out a new standalone prompt for third-party cookies,” Anthony Chavez, VP of Privacy Sandbox at Google, wrote in a blog post.
Between the lines. While Google is stepping back from the cookie prompt, a third party consent mechanism first mentioned in February, it isn’t abandoning Privacy Sandbox entirely. The company plans to continue certain initiatives, including IP Protection for Chrome Incognito users, scheduled for Q3 deployment.
Industry feedback prompted this change, according to Chavez:
- “It remains clear that there are divergent perspectives on making changes that could impact the availability of third-party cookies.”
Google also noted its ongoing engagement with regulatory bodies, including UK competition and data privacy authorities.
Why we care. Google’s decision not to implement a standalone cookie prompt in Chrome allows advertisers to continue using familiar third-party cookie tracking without disruption. This provides short-term stability for ad campaigns and preserves current targeting efficiency across Chrome’s dominant market share.
However, advertisers should view this as a temporary reprieve rather than a permanent solution, as the broader industry shift toward privacy-first advertising hasn’t disappeared. First-party data will still be the most reliable source of truth.
The big picture. Privacy Sandbox has faced criticism following its latest progress report earlier this year, which acknowledged technical challenges in its proposals, particularly for attribution.
Despite active participation from companies like BidSwitch (owned by Criteo), Index Exchange, and Raptive, feedback highlighted fundamental issues:
- The system’s 1:1 design conflicts with ad tech’s multi-party structure.
- Scalability and real-time data processing remain problematic.
- Publishers have hesitated to fully commit, prioritizing immediate revenue through header bidding.
- Latency issues and limited video support have hindered adoption.
What’s next. “We’ll engage with the industry to gather feedback and share an updated roadmap for these technologies, including our future areas of investment, in the coming months.” Chavez stated.
Industry observers have described Privacy Sandbox as being “in limbo” as experimentation with the initiative has largely stalled.
Google’s blog post. Next steps for Privacy Sandbox and tracking protections in Chrome
About the author
Anu Adegbola has been Paid Media Editor of Search Engine Land since 2024. She covers paid search, paid social, retail media, video and more.
In 2008, Anu’s career started with delivering digital marketing campaigns (mostly but not exclusively Paid Search) by building strategies, maximising ROI, automating repetitive processes and bringing efficiency from every part of marketing departments through inspiring leadership both on agency, client and marketing tech side.
If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on Google News too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.
If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our Technology category.
