Watchdog reveals lingering Google Privacy Sandbox worries

The UK CMA, with input from the ICO, outlines nearly 80 unresolved privacy, governance, and competition concerns about Google’s Privacy Sandbox—particularly the Topics API—prompting another delay of third‑party cookie deprecation in Chrome to 2025. Regulators question whether the consent UI adequately informs users, warn that topics data could be repurposed beyond advertising and risk re-identification if the taxonomy expands, and highlight worries about Google’s potential gatekeeping role. Industry stakeholders also seek fixes (e.g., correcting misclassifications), while Google maintains the Sandbox will improve privacy and continues engagement with regulators.