Privacy Sandbox for the web: Expanding testing into 2023

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.