Testing takes time. And testing done well can take a lot of time. Similar to
someone learning to cook a new recipe, picking up a new hobby, or just studying
for their next exam, success often comes down to rigorous testing and
preparation.
This is why we’re taking a deliberate approach to testing the Privacy Sandbox
for the Web. We began by researching user preferences and trends, legal
requirements, and ecosystem dependencies. We also met with industry participants
to understand their use cases and with regulators to hear their perspectives.
This year, we made Privacy Sandbox technologies available for functional testing
to make sure the web technologies for Privacy Sandbox are technically sound and
that the core designs are ready for expanded testing. We’ve done this while
remaining focused on meeting user privacy expectations to make the web more
private by default.
Thanks to engagement from the web community, privacy experts, and regulators,
we’ve
refined
the core Privacy Sandbox API designs and made them available for testing in
Chrome Stable origin trials. This
sets the stage for expanded testing in 2023—including live traffic end-to-end
experiments—with a focus on understanding ecosystem outcomes and the real-world
impact of transitioning away from third-party cookies.
To assist in this next stage of Privacy Sandbox testing, later this year we’ll
publish guidance on how privacy-preserving technologies and other privacy-safe
signals can be utilized to provide solutions that support the goals of marketers
and publishers.
We anticipate the first half of 2023 will be a test-and-learn phase as
developers build and then optimize their implementations. We expect much of this
testing will be done by separate testers for individual APIs, providing
directional utility learnings. As with any new technology, we expect a range of
results, as developers bring their own unique methodologies, approaches, and
learnings. During this period, we look forward to feedback on how specific
parameters of the APIs influence results.
By the second half of 2023, we’ll launch the Privacy Sandbox APIs to all Chrome
users. This will enable testing the technologies at scale in combination, and
across ecosystem participants, to meaningfully measure results for publishers
and advertisers. The CMA has recently proposed a
framework
for such testing that includes evaluating the real-world impact of phasing out
third-party cookies. We look forward to working with the CMA and the industry to
arrive at a coordinated testing program for the second half of 2023, as we
believe it’s a vital step in transitioning to privacy-first approaches to
advertising on the web.
Testing matters, especially when developing new technologies like the Privacy
Sandbox. We’re grateful for the industry’s participation as we embark on this
next phase of Sandbox testing.
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