Cookieless Newsroom

Multitude of Privacy Sandbox Test Results

This Cookieless Newsroom focuses on a large number of recently published Privacy Sandbox tests, but also stays on top of other important events regarding Cookieless.

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  • 8 July 2024: NOYB files a complaint under GDPR in Italy, alleging that Xandr creates user profiles with sensitive information for targeting and fails to grant those users the right to access and delete this data. [Techcrunch]

  • 2 July 2024Index Exchange releases its Privacy Sandbox test results:

    • A 33% decline in CPMs with the Privacy Sandbox compared to third-party cookies (versus a 36% decline with no Privacy Sandbox and no third-party cookies).

    • A 28% increase in latency for Protected Audience API auctions compared to the control group, allegedly due to GAM being a top-level seller. [Index Exchange]

  • 1 July 2024: The European Commission preliminarily finds that Meta’s “Pay or Okay” model for behavioral tracking on its platform does not comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). [Techcrunch]

  • 1 July 2024Google releases a reactive statement to the revised and final IAB Tech Lab’s Fit Gap report, underlining that it hasn’t significantly changed from its version for public comment, which “is not surprising given the bar for the report was for everything to work exactly as it does today, which was never the intention of Privacy Sandbox.” [Digiday]

  • 27 June 2024Criteo publishes its Privacy Sandbox test results for the CMA, revealing the following findings, among others:

    • A 60% decrease in publishers’ revenues with the Privacy Sandbox compared to third-party cookies.

    • An increase in GAM’s market share from 23% to 83%.

    • A doubling of ad-rendering latency.

A Google spokesperson responds to Criteo’s results, stating that the publisher’s perspective cannot be accurately reflected by one buyer, as publishers cooperate with dozens of buyers. Additionally, the current scale of third-party cookie deprecation does not allow for the drawing of definitive conclusions from the published results. [AdExchanger],[Criteo]

  • 27 June 2024: After releasing the Privacy Sandbox Fit Gap Analysis for public comment in March, IAB Tech Lab publishes its final version. [IAB Tech Lab]

  • 24 June 2024: The European Commission preliminarily finds that Apple breached the Digital Markets Act (DMA) by “preventing app developers from freely steering consumers to alternative channels for offers and content.” [The Guardian]

  • 18 June 2024: The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) announces its intention to roll out regulations modeled on the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), aimed at mobile ecosystems. [AdExchanger]

  • 18 June 2024: Mozilla considers allowing private targeting and measurement on Firefox in the future by acquiring Anonym, a startup with 13 employees founded by two former Meta executives. [AdExchanger]

  • 17 June 2024: MOAT and other Oracle advertising services are confirmed to cease operations on 30 September 2024. [AdWeek, Oracle FAQ]

See also: Your Guide to Protected Audience API

  • 13 June 2024: NOYB files a complaint regarding the Privacy Sandbox with the Austrian Data Protection Authority, alleging that Chrome employs dark patterns in its consent pop-up banner. These dark patterns misrepresent that clicking the “Activate” button activates privacy-enhancing features when it actually activates first-party tracking. [NYOB]

  • 12 June 2024: Apple introduces Web AdAttributionKit, which builds on Private Click Measurement, and AdAttributionKit, which builds on SKAdNetwork. The latter introduces a new feature: re-engagement information for click-through attribution (only in reporting), allowing the measurement of when users open their apps after downloading. [Apple Developer]

  • 10 June 2024: MiQ tests the Privacy Sandbox and finds it usable for measurement, with some additional modeling needed for true campaign ROI. It assumes that ARA’s adoption across more browsers could result in a larger data scale than third-party cookies provided. [Wearemiq website]

  • 5 June 2024: The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) grants certification for the class action organized by Ad Tech Collective Action LLP and green-lights the trial of Google for its self-preferencing practices in the ad tech market. This means that the alleged victims of Google (200,000 news publishers) might receive damage compensation of up to £13.2 billion. [Reuters]

  • 5 June 2024: Google’s long-time chief privacy officer and director of competition law leave the company without immediate replacements. [Forbes]