United Kingdom: Competition and Markets Authority accepts commitments offered by Google concerning its Privacy Sandbox Proposals

On 11 February 2022, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) accepted the commitments made by Google on 4 February 2022, in regards to the removal of third-party cookies from the Chrome browser, referred to as Privacy Sandbox Proposals. The commitments made by Google are legally binding and are the result of an in-depth investigation and two public consultations that addressed the CMA’s competition concerns. The approved commitments differ from the ones previously proposed by Google on 11 June 2021, giving CMA more oversight powers. Firstly, the CMA alongside the Information Commissioner’s Office will be involved in the development and testing of the Privacy Sandbox to ensure the protection of competition and privacy. Secondly, Google will have to engage with third parties and make public the results of the tests. Thirdly, the removal of third-party cookies would be possible only if the CMA competition concerns are addressed. Finally, Google agreed to not self-preference its advertising services and will restrict the sharing of data with its subsidiaries to guarantee that they don’t have an advantage over competitors. The commitments are legally binding until 11 February 2028 and the CMA will be able to re-open its investigation and impose additional measures. In a related note, the UK Information Commissioner's Office welcomed the commitments and the acceptance by the CMA.