Glossary/Privacy and identity/Privacy Sandbox
What is the Google Privacy Sandbox?
What the Privacy Sandbox set out to do, how the plan changed, and why first-party data matters either way.
Written by Samhub with the help of AI·Updated 13 Oct 2026·3 min readThe Privacy Sandbox is Google’s project to build privacy-focused alternatives to third-party cookies in Chrome, with browser tools for interest targeting, remarketing and measurement.
What was proposed
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Topics API | Interest targeting based on browsing, chosen by the browser |
| Protected Audience | Remarketing run inside the browser |
| Attribution Reporting | Measuring conversions without cross-site tracking |
How the plan changed
Google first planned to remove third-party cookies from Chrome. It later dropped that plan and kept them, and has since scaled back the Sandbox tools. Check Google’s latest updates for the current status.
16 pages for publishers, with a checklist for data, programmatic and direct sales.
What it means for publishers
Third-party cookies are already blocked in Safari and Firefox and limited by consent. Whatever happens in Chrome, publishers with logged-in readers and their own audience data depend less on any browser decision.
Addressability at Stampen Media after moving its reader data into one layer with Samhub.
Frequently asked questions
Google has said it will keep them. Other browsers already block them.
Yes. A large share of traffic is already without third-party cookies.
First-party data, logins, universal IDs and contextual targeting.
It did not remove the need for consent in Europe.
Related terms
Cookies set by another domain than the site you visit.
Cookies set by the site the reader is visiting.
A shared identifier that can replace third-party cookies.
The share of your audience you can recognize and target.
One EU-based platform to collect, unify and enrich your first-party data, installed with one script.
- A walkthrough with your own data
- Built for publishers and media houses
- 30 minutes, no commitment
Turn your audience data into more revenue
Get the Media Monetization Playbook: how media houses turn first-party data into higher CPMs, data deals and direct sales. With checklists for every step.
