Google Begins Rolling Out Android's Privacy Sandbox

Google unveiled the Privacy Sandbox for Android initiative at the beginning of the year, a new system aimed to ultimately replace today’s existing third-party cookie schemes and develop a more privacy-centered manner of presenting adverts. Google said that the first developer’s preview of the sandbox is now available as part of Android 13 beta 1 following an initial round of alpha testing and feedback.

According to Google, the Privacy Sandbox is a multi-year development initiative that would “limit sharing of user data with third parties and operate without cross-app identifiers, including advertising ID,” “We’re also exploring technologies that reduce the potential for covert data collection, including safer ways for apps to integrate with advertising SDKs.”

This beta gives developers an early peek at the sandbox’s SDK Runtime and Topics API so they can better understand how they’ll integrate into their apps and processes once it’s released. Topics API was first seen in January. Based on the user’s search and browsing history, it gathers data from the Chrome browser to identify the user’s top five interests for the week. These topics are then compared to a database of topics compiled by the Interactive Advertising Bureau as well as Google’s own data. Partner publishers can then ping the Topics API to check what the user is currently interested in, and then provide the most relevant ads without knowing every subtlety about their potential customer.Developers will also get early access to the Fledge API. This enables sites to “remarket” to current customers, i.e., serve users ads reminding them that they left products in their shopping cart and should just check out now. The Sandbox includes everything developers need to test it, including the Android SDK and a 64-bit Android Emulator. The company plans to improve the toolbox in the next months and invites input and queries from the developer community.