Hajra Naz
Apple and Microsoft recently warned users about Google Chrome. Now, Google itself has confirmed bad news for its 3 billion Chrome users. The company has officially ended its privacy project, raising questions about the future of user tracking online.
Google’s Big Promise: A More Private Web
Google once promised to make Chrome safer by removing tracking cookies, the small files advertisers use to follow users around the web. The idea was called the Privacy Sandbox, a plan meant to protect privacy while still letting advertisers reach people.
That balance never worked. After six years of testing and debate, Google has announced that the Privacy Sandbox is being phased out.
The Death of Privacy Sandbox
The news broke when Google told AdWeek that “the entire project is being retired.” In other words, Google’s Privacy Sandbox is officially dead.
Since its launch, the project has faced constant problems. Its first feature, FLoC (Federated Learning of Cohorts), was so unpopular that Apple mocked it in an ad based on Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, showing flocks of data “attacking” users.
Now, nearly every tool in the Sandbox is being retired due to “low adoption.” These include:
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Attribution Reporting API
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IP Protection
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On-Device Personalization
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Private Aggregation
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Protected Audience
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Protected App Signals
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Related Website Sets
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SelectURL
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SDK Runtime
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Topics
In short, everything is being shut down.
Read More: Mastering the Google Sandbox: Tips for New Websites to Excel in Search Rankings
Why This Matters
Tech experts say the death of Privacy Sandbox is a big deal. According to Gizmodo, this means six years of effort to stop tracking cookies has “amounted to nothing.”
PPC Land adds that Google is retiring nine major technologies after years of work and criticism. Engadget put it simply: “Google has killed Privacy Sandbox.”
Despite all this, Chrome’s popularity hasn’t dropped. It still owns over 70% of the browser market on both mobile and desktop.
Chrome Still Rules — But At What Cost?
Even after all the privacy scandals, Chrome remains the world’s favorite browser. Its only real competition may come from new AI-powered browsers, like Perplexity’s Comet and one expected soon from OpenAI.
Google is also fighting back with Gemini in Chrome, an AI upgrade meant to keep users from switching. But Gemini raises new privacy concerns since it collects even more user data than before. Still, most users seem unlikely to leave Chrome anytime soon.
Why Google’s Plan Failed
At its core, Google faced a major conflict. The company wanted to act as both protector of user privacy and leader of the digital ad industry — two roles that don’t mix well.
Advertisers feared that killing cookies would give Google even more power since it controls so much of the ad ecosystem. Many believed the Privacy Sandbox would make tracking harder for everyone except Google.
Now, with Sandbox gone, the web is stuck in a gray area, cookies are still alive, and real privacy protections are nowhere in sight.
What Happens Next
According to Search Engine Land, ending the Privacy Sandbox might bring short-term stability to advertisers but leaves privacy concerns unresolved. In other words, ads will keep working like before, but users will keep being tracked.
The website explains:
“Advertisers get breathing room today, but more uncertainty tomorrow.”
So, six years later, we’re right back where we started — with Chrome tracking users across the internet and no clear plan to stop.
The Bottom Line
Google’s plan to reinvent web privacy has failed. The Privacy Sandbox is gone. Tracking cookies are here to stay. And users are still being followed online — despite years of promises that it would all end. AI browsers might shake things up soon, but for now, privacy on Chrome remains a dream, not a reality.
Read More: Google Quietly Rolls Out Changes to Chrome for All Android Users
FAQs
1. What was Google’s Privacy Sandbox?
It was a six-year project to replace tracking cookies with more private ways of showing ads. It aimed to balance user privacy and advertising needs.
2. Why did Google shut it down?
Most of the new tools failed to gain support from advertisers or developers. The system was also criticized for being complex and favoring Google.
3. Does this mean tracking cookies are staying?
Yes. Third-party cookies, the main way users are tracked online will remain in Chrome for now.
4. Will Chrome still collect my data?
Yes. Chrome still gathers data for ads, analytics, and personalization. Without the Sandbox, there are fewer limits on how that happens.
5. Are there safer browsers to use?
Yes. Browsers like Safari, Brave, and Firefox focus more on privacy and limit tracking by default. You can also try AI browsers like Perplexity’s Comet for newer privacy models.
