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UK Regulator Criticizes Google's Ad-Privacy Updates

Britain's privacy regulators said Google's proposed cookie replacement should do more to protect consumer privacy, the Wall Street Journal reported late Wednesday, citing internal documents it reviewed.

According to the WSJ, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) wrote in a draft report that Google's proposed Privacy Sandbox technology leaves loopholes that could be exploited to compromise privacy and identify users who must remain anonymous.

Privacy Sandbox represents a legal framework designed to eliminate third-party cookies and cross-border monitoring by providing free access to all online content; as a result, every individual is guaranteed privacy protection. Having eliminated all third-party cookies by the second quarter of 2024, Google will be the remaining driver of internet personalization.

The ICO makes Google understand that things need to be changed; this leads the CMA to generate alerts over the matter to the WSJ. The report stressed that the British Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had pledged to confer with the ICO during any moments in which Google's policies come under question.

"We have engaged extensively with the ICO, privacy, and other competition regulators around the world, and will continue to do so to achieve outcomes that work for users and the entire ecosystem," a Google spokesperson told Reuters in an emailed statement.

The CMA is investigating Google's plans to cut support for some cookies in the Chrome browser because the watchdog is concerned it will hinder competition in digital advertising. The ICO and CMA did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Conclusion: The UK regulator’s findings concerning Grey-area Google’s changes in ad-privacy laws show the legal trends of digital privacy and advertising. The tech companies have to deal with these issues while user privacy and transparency remain the major pillars towards the establishment of trust among the users and settling for the authenticity of advertising eventually turning it into the living system data structure.