Google has backed off from its earlier plan to introduce a standalone prompt in Chrome for managing third-party ad tracking, citing industry feedback and regulatory discussions. The change was announced on April 22 as one of several updates to the Chrome team’s Privacy Sandbox program.
Third-party cookie settings will be lumped in with other choices across web browsing
In July 2024, VP of Privacy Sandbox Anthony Chavez said the feature had the goal of “finding innovative solutions that meaningfully improve online privacy while preserving an ad-supported internet that supports a vibrant ecosystem of publishers, connects businesses with customers, and offers all of us free access to a wide range of content.” Under this plan, the user would have “an informed choice” about third party cookies, the tracking technology for third-party ads.
“Instead of deprecating third-party cookies, we would introduce a new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing, and they’d be able to adjust that choice at any time,” Chavez said. “We’re discussing this new path with regulators, and will engage with t
he industry as we roll this out.”
However, in April 2025, Chrome confirmed there will no longer be standalone prompts asking users to accept or reject third-party ad tracking. Chrome took “publishers, developers, regulators, and the ads industry” into account in the decision, Chavez wrote in April.
“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,” he said. “Users can continue to choose the best option for themselves in Chrome’s Privacy and Security Settings.”
In those settings, users can manually block or enable third-party cookies or specify individual sites from which the user will accept third-party cookies.
SEE: Fake Google Security Alert Hides a Phishing Scam
Privacy Sandbox affects both advertisers and audiences
Chavez noted this shift may affect developers using the Privacy Sandbox APIs, and said Chrome will share an updated roadmap “in the coming months.”
The change is being made because of feedback from across the industry, but Privacy Sandbox has been a mixed bag from the beginning. As DigiDay pointed out, ad tech companies and publishers have described Privacy Sandbox difficult to work with.
While the Privacy Sandbox offers a middle ground between privacy and ad tech, it has not matched the stricter cookie-blocking measures already enforced by Safari and Firefox. Google is currently embroiled in an antitrust lawsuit, which includes, among other issues, whether Google monopolized open-web digital advertising markets.
In a notable aside during the antitrust trial on Tuesday, an OpenAI representative said the company would be interested in buying Chrome if a court forces Google to divest the browser, though the scenario remains speculative.
Google stays the course on Incognito mode cookie blocking and IP protection
The Privacy Sandbox team is still working on tweaking tracking protections in Chrome’s Incognito mode, which blocks third-party cookies as part of its overall settings. They are also maintaining the timeline for IP Protection, which partially obscures a user’s IP address from third parties in Incognito mode. It is scheduled for the third quarter of 2025.
