What's changed in the 6 months since Google killed its Privacy Sandbox
Published: 07/04/2026
| Consent Brief
Six months after Google retired its Privacy Sandbox on 17 October 2025, the strategic landscape for digital advertising has undergone a fundamental shift. Its failure confirms that the consent-and-cookie model is a permanent operating environment rather than a transitional phase.
The death of the Sandbox also entrenches cross-browser fragmentation. While Chrome continues to support third-party cookies indefinitely, subject to consent, Safari and Firefox maintain strict blocking policies. This split-browser reality complicates consent management, as publishers must navigate varying cookie persistence and tracking protections across different platforms.
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