“We are discussing with Google what further restrictions may be applied on Google’s use of first-party data to target and measure ads on Google’s owned and operated (O&O) inventory,” the report read. “We are conscious of the risk that ad spend could move away from open display and into O&O inventory (or ‘walled gardens’) – depending on the overall impact of the Privacy Sandbox changes.”
The CMA also doesn’t want Privacy Sandbox to force more of the industry into using Google’s ad tech. It is particularly concerning that one solution to Protected Audiences API preferences is Google’s ad server Google Ad Manager over other ad-tech tools.
“We have committed to design and implement the Privacy Sandbox proposals in a way that does not distort competition by self-preferencing our own business, and to take into account impact on competition in digital advertising and on publishers and advertisers, regardless of their size,” a Google spokesperson told Adweek, noting the company welcomes feedback.
The CMA also highlighted that Google’s attribution solution needs to be interoperable with other browsers, like Safari and Firefox.
The regulatory body is also looking into whether once cookies go away, Google will preference privacy sandbox over other replacement solutions.
Google must prove that Privacy Sandbox will continue to be fair over the long term
One of the CMA’s greatest concerns is how the Privacy Sandbox will police the industry and itself after implementation. A Google spokesperson told ADWEEK that the company agrees that a governance model is critical to the success of Privacy Sandbox.
For instance, the CMA wants to ensure that Google’s interest-based targeting solution Topics is fair to all publishers and is not biased toward Google. And it wants to ensure the attribution reporting API will always collect as little user data as possible.
“Google currently retains significant discretion over how Privacy Sandbox works,” the report says. “This creates a risk of self-preferencing.”
