Google’s long-awaited Privacy Sandbox initiative, aimed at replacing third-party browser cookies with a series of APIs, is edging closer to implementation with the launch of Chrome 115.
In a recent blog post about the latest version of Chrome, Adriana Jara, a developer relations engineer at Google, explained the significance of the Topics API, which allows browsers to share users’ interests with third parties while safeguarding their privacy.
This innovative approach records topics of interest from users’ browsing activities without tracking specific websites they visit. The anonymized data is then utilized to deliver relevant ads without relying on traditional cookies and the associated user data.
According to a report by The Verge, Google plans to enable APIs for approximately 35% of browsers this week, with the majority of browsers (99%) expected to have access to the new tools when Chrome 116 is released, likely in mid-August 2023.
Despite early delays, Google’s progress with the Privacy Sandbox initiative remains on track following its May 2023 announcement of enabling APIs starting with the July Chrome release.
The next steps in the rollout involve deprecating third-party cookies for one percent of Chrome users during the first three months of 2024. This will provide developers with valuable real-world data to assess the impact of the new APIs on browsing and online tracking.
Later in the year, Google aims to allow developers to simulate third-party cookie deprecation in Chrome for specific users, enabling controlled testing of the new system.
Following this testing phase, Google is committed to completely phasing out third-party cookies by Q3 2024, a move expected to significantly enhance user privacy while maintaining advertisers’ ability to deliver relevant and personalized content.
