Back in 2022 , Google storm most of the web - browsing world with the announcement of thePrivacy Sandbox , a multi - twelvemonth opening to phase out third - party cookies and trammel tracking . Two geezerhood afterward , Google has now announced that Privacy Sandbox wo n’t be quite as robust as that original vision .

In ablog posttitled “ A unexampled path for Privacy Sandbox on the web , ” Google describe “ an updated attack [ to Privacy Sandbox ] that raise user pick . ” Rather than eliminating third - party cookie on the web , Google is instead developing “ a raw experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browse , and they ’d be capable to set that pick at any time . ” Translation : It ’ll be hide several tabs deep in mount and gruelling to observe unless you wait for it .

And we do n’t even live if the original goals will be entire — to “ make current trailing mechanisms disused , and block covert trailing proficiency , like   fingerprinting”—if and when it does get . Google only enjoin it will “ continue to confer with with the CMA , ICO and other regulators globally ” as it finalizes its plan of attack .

It ’s jolly ironic that this move come about a week after Apple start running a novel ad called “ Flock ” set to the creepy-crawly strain “ Billathi Askara ” by Björn Jason Lindh . In the 2 - minute spot , people are seen using Android - like telephone set while creepy surveillance cameras with wings travel along them around like a horror movie — until people using Safari rather of presumably Chrome make them all to explode before they get too cheeseparing .

The content is that Safari protects your privacy while Chrome does n’t . Apple has numerousfeatures built into Safaridesigned to protect users , include Intelligent Tracking Prevention and fingerprinting defence . Privacy Sandbox would have gone a recollective way toward depict multitude that this advert is n’t an accurate representation of Chrome on Android phones , but now that the enterprisingness is stay and significantly watered down , it ’s going to be hard to make that case .

Google says the revamped Privacy Sandbox is still being developed and does n’t provide a date for release . It does say , however , that it “ look[s ] frontwards to stay on collaboration with the ecosystem on the next phase of the journey to a more individual web . ”