Privacy Sandbox API Rolls Out in Chrome 115, Giving Users More Control Over Their Data

With the release of Chrome 115 on July 18th, Google, at last has started phasing out third-party cookies, thanks to the general rollout of the Privacy Sandbox API. The feature will be made available to almost 35% users in July, 60% in August, and finally 99% in September.

If you aren’t already aware, Google plans on completely getting rid of third-party cookies till the second half of 2024, and replace it with Privacy Sandbox, Google’s solution for targeted ads. What this will do is essentially provide required information to the advertisers, limiting access to the data they don’t need.

These APIs are designed to provide a more privacy-preserving way for websites to collect and use data about users.

Google has earlier announced that it will roll out these changes when the stable version of Chrome 115 becomes available, and with that, we’re seeing how the company is currently shifting its focus to features, that mainly focus on the privacy aspect, and user safety.

In addition to the rollout, Google also plans on updating the ad privacy controls, which would then be shipped alongside the next update in mid-August. These controls would give you more control over how your data is used in advertising.

In this update, Google plans on shipping six APIs, like the Topics API, which allows websites to collect information about the interests of their users.

There’s also the Protected Audience API, which allows websites to target ads to users who have opted in to receiving ads based on their interests. And the Attribution Reporting API, which allows websites to track the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns.

For us, it means that you can still see personalized ads, but your data will be collected and used in a way that is more transparent and gives you more control over your privacy.

Shipping these APIs is another key milestone in the ongoing Privacy Sandbox timeline. This marks the beginning of the transition from sites testing in the origin trial to integrating these APIs in production. We will be keeping you updated as we progress through enabling the APIs, to the opt-in testing with labels in Q4 2023, the 1% third-party cookie deprecation in Q1 2024, heading towards the full third-party cookie phaseout in Q3 2024.”

Google

At the moment, however, it is important to note that the Privacy Sandbox will be used ALONGSIDE the third-party cookies, as Google will not get rid of these cookies until 2024. Even then, these cookies will depreciate for only 1% of the users, but the company says that the process will speed up afterwards.

This is all we know for now, but rest assured that we will keep you updated as new information becomes available.