As a part of the rollout, users will also get access to some controls for ads. If you have clicked on \u201cGot it\u201d when you saw the pop-up, the privacy sandbox experience will be enabled by default. You will have to head to Settings> Privacy and Security > Ad Privacy > Ad topics<\/em> to turn it off. This will just stop advertisers from showing you targeted ads based on topics of interest.<\/p>\n

The Ad Topics tab also lets users look at the topics generated by Chrome\u2019s system and block any that they deem irrelevant.<\/p>\n

Chrome’s Delayed Implementation<\/h3>\n

Google Chrome<\/strong> is a dominant web browser in the market with more than 60% market share, according to Statcounter. However, it has been the last in line to disable third-party cookies as rivals, such as Safari and Firefox, have been blocking third-party cookies for a while now.<\/p>\n

Chrome\u2019s plan for phasing out cookies has faced several delays as the company wanted to roll out its alternative for targeted ads before blocking third-party cookies. In May, the company said it would turn off third-party cookies for all users by default in the second half of 2024. Google also mentioned at that time it will begin this rollout with 1% of users in Q1 2024.<\/p>\n

Concerns and Alternatives<\/h3>\n

Given that Chrome is such a big driver for web traffic, advertisers and developers are worried about the implications of adopting the new solution. For developers who want to test the new Privacy Sandbox environment, the company made the API public in July. The company has the intention of rolling out a simulation environment for developers to adjust to a cookie-less future. While advertisers have been toying with alternative methods to cookies, in markets like India, they are still spending a ton of money on the outgoing solution, according to Insider Intelligence.<\/p>\n

While Google has lobbied that its solution brings an end to fallbacks of third-party cookies, entities such as the W3C Technical Architecture Group (TAG) have raised concerns regarding the search giant\u2019s implementation. They have said that because of Chromium-only support for the Topics API, sites could block users or limit the experience for folks using other browsers.<\/p>\n

Marketing advocacy group Movement for the Open Web wrote a blog earlier this week saying that Google is gathering a lot of personal data through the Privacy Sandbox \u201csourced through an opt-in process that it\u2019s hard for most web users to avoid.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n