Britain’s competition watchdog said it received commitments from Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) over the removal of third-party cookies from the Chrome browser but will oversee the process to make sure competition is unaffected.
The CMA launched an investigation in January saying the use of tracking cookies on Chrome might force even more advertising spend to migrate to Google at the expense of its competitors.
In an update today, the CMA said Google made commitments to address the concerns but added it would be directly involved in the design and development of the US firm’s Privacy Sandbox proposals.
“The CMA has worked closely with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in reviewing the Privacy Sandbox proposals and will continue to work closely with the ICO to assess the effectiveness of alternatives to third party cookies being developed under the proposals,” it said in a statement.
The watchdog said that without its oversight it was worried Google’s alternatives could be developed and implemented in ways that impede competition in digital advertising markets.
Andrea Coscelli, the CMA’s Chief Executive, said the emergence of companies such as Google required a new approach.
“That’s why the CMA is taking a leading role in setting out how we can work with the most powerful tech firms to shape their behaviour and protect competition to the benefit of consumers.
“If accepted, the commitments we have obtained from Google become legally binding, promoting competition in digital markets, helping to protect the ability of online publishers to raise money through advertising and safeguarding users’ privacy.”
Google, which is owned by Alphabet Inc, has been under fire from regulators in numerous countries over competition issues.
Earlier this week it was fined €220mln fine by authorities in France and said it would make changes to its algorithm-based auction processes.
Tech industry commentators said it was a landmark case and might rebalance power towards the content publishers that host ad placements, albeit as a precedent that may inspire anti-trust action in other jurisdictions.