Below is a roundup of last week’s notable industry news, with summaries and our opinions. RIP Privacy Sandbox.

Google's Privacy Sandbox Is Officially Dead
Source: Adweek
October 17th, 2025

Summary: After six years, Google is pulling the plug on Privacy Sandbox—the initiative launched in 2019 to develop privacy-safe alternatives to third-party cookies. Google confirmed to Adweek that it will sunset the entire project, though the company will continue privacy work under different labeling.

The decision is not surprising, six months after Google reversed course and said it wouldn't kill third-party cookies in Chrome after all. Per Google, the Privacy Sandbox APIs had "low levels of adoption." The news comes the same day as the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) closed its investigation into Google's plan to deprecate third-party cookies.  

What's going away:

• Topics API: Enables interest-based advertising without user-level tracking

• Attribution Reporting API: Measures ad conversions without cross-site tracking

• Protected Audience API: Retargeting without sharing browsing history

• IP Protection: Hides user IP addresses from third-party tracking tools 

• Private Aggregation: Aggregates audience data while preserving individual privacy

• Related Website Sets: Allows related websites to share limited data

• On-Device Personalization: Processes personalization on users' devices to keep data local and private

• Protected App Signals: Stores app usage signals on-device for relevant app install ads on Android

• Select URL: Enables privacy-preserving content sharing without showing underlying stored data

• SDK Runtime: Creates isolated execution environment for third-party SDKs on Android with restricted data access

What's staying (the only three tools that achieved significant adoption):

• CHIPS (Cookies Having Independent Partitioned State): Stores cookies separately for each site to prevent cross-site tracking

• FedCM (Federated Credential Management API): Lets users sign in with existing accounts while limiting data sharing

• Private State Tokens: Authentication tool for fraud prevention without tracking 

This marks the end of a long, winding, expensive, and painful road: Google repeatedly delayed cookie deprecation from 2020-2024, then pivoted to keeping cookies with a user consent option, then abandoned cookie deprecation altogether in April, and now has officially killed what remained of Privacy Sandbox.

Opinion: Let this moment mark the official end of the privacy movement in digital advertising. The arc that began with Cambridge Analytica in 2018 closes with Google sunsetting Privacy Sandbox in 2025. Until the next major data breach triggers public outcry, privacy rides in the back seat.

Frankly, good riddance. The privacy movement's solutions never addressed the core problem: user data being compromised in ways that cause real harm. They just kneecapped the industry because digital advertising became the convenient scapegoat.

To make matters worse, Big Tech weaponized "privacy" as a competitive tool. Apple used ATT to hurt Meta and Google while building up its own ad business. Google tried using Privacy Sandbox to consolidate power under the guise of protecting users. Regulators eventually caught on—hence the €150M fine to Apple and CMA oversight of Google. But only after the industry hemorrhaged billions preparing for a "cookieless future" that was never really about cookies.

So where does this leave us? Data clean rooms aren’t that useful anymore. Alternative ID solutions go from "critical infrastructure" to "nice-to-have tools." Marketers can be more aggressive with data again.

Can our industry handle this second chance? Probably not. Some ad tech vendor will get sloppy with PII. Some marketer will cross a line. Some data breach will make headlines. And we'll be right back where we started.

In order to avoid that, we must be aggressive, but transparent. Use data to deliver value to consumers in exchange for their attention and information. Make that value exchange crystal clear. Build trust through competence, not performative privacy theater.

Meta Is Testing Skippable Ads on Instagram Reels, Borrowing From YouTube’s Playbook - The new format features a countdown timer followed by a "skip" button that lets viewers bypass ads and go to the beginning of the Reel. The move comes as Gartner reports that Instagram has higher purchase intent than Facebook and YouTube. While non-skippable ads traditionally cost more due to guaranteed viewership, skippable formats could help Meta collect additional engagement signals without annoying users.

Apple TV and Peacock bundle will boost advertising potential - Apple TV and NBCUniversal's Peacock are launching a $15-per-month streaming bundle starting Monday, offering customers over 30% savings compared to paying individually for both ad-supported plans. The partnership is a strategic move for two platforms struggling to compete with Netflix, Prime Video, and Hulu—Apple TV is losing over $1B annually with only 22% of CTV users watching in 2024, while Peacock remains unprofitable despite subscriber growth. For advertisers, the bundle could double potential reach and create expanded opportunities to connect with viewers across multiple content verticals in one buy, should Apple introduce more ad opportunities or an ad-supported subscription tier. Apple offers limited advertising in Major League Soccer games and Friday night MLB games, as of now.

TikTok’s ongoing U.S. uncertainty has marketers rethinking next year’s budgets - Despite TikTok's future in the US seemingly settled, advertiser confidence remains shaky as marketers grapple with uncertainty about who will oversee the app and how it will be run. In the proposed structure, TikTok's US operations (including advertising and e-commerce) would still be owned by ByteDance, while the new US-based venture would oversee user data and algorithm retraining. Questions about leadership, governance, and performance impacts remain unanswered. Some marketers are already planning to scale back spending in 2026, with agencies noting they'll likely pause spend during the transition and wade in carefully as the new version is rolled out. 

OpenAI Launches Atlas Browser to Bring ChatGPT Into Your Browsing Experience - Atlas is a Chromium-based web browser that integrates ChatGPT directly into your browsing experience with an "Ask ChatGPT" sidebar and an autonomous "Agent mode" for paid subscribers. The browser is launching worldwide for Mac users, with Windows and mobile versions coming soon. OpenAI promises privacy controls, including incognito mode, and says it won't use Atlas browsing data to train its models unless users opt in. Keep an eye on user adoption of Atlas; if it takes, it will drastically impact browser-based advertising.

Warner Bros. Discovery Explores Sale in Potential Industry Shake-Up - Warner Bros. Discovery may sell all or some of its media holdings after receiving interest from multiple parties, sending its stock up nearly 10%. Paramount has made two offers for the entire company (both rejected), while others have expressed interest in Warner's studio and streaming assets specifically. Netflix is also a rumored acquirer. The company had been planning to split into two entities by early 2026—one housing its studios, HBO, and streaming business, and another its cable networks like CNN, TNT, and Discovery—but is now broadening its strategic options.

Meta withdraws from Media Rating Council brand safety audits - Meta pulled out of MRC audits last week, abandoning accreditations for Instagram and Facebook that were only issued in June. Meta believes advertisers value third-party validation over Meta's own tools, prompting the company to ask the MRC to prioritize a third-party brand safety audit instead. Advertisers have long griped about limited visibility into ad placements on Facebook and Instagram, which are now teeming with AI-generated content. Meta's January decision to replace fact-checking with community notes had already reignited brand safety worries. Meta, however, hasn't completely abandoned brand safety; it recently expanded third-party verification on Threads through DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science.

Netflix shares drop after streamer misses earnings estimates, citing Brazilian tax dispute - Netflix’s Q3 revenue was up 17% to $11.51B, meeting expectations, but earnings per share missed due to a dispute with Brazilian tax authorities. Netflix says it had its best ad sales quarter ever and is on track to double ad revenue in 2025.

Omnicom Expects to Close IPG Takeover in November - Q3 organic growth was up 2.6% for the agency holding company, beating estimates. Omnicom is in the final stages of its merger with IPG, now only awaiting regulatory approval from the EU.  

What’s gone wrong at WPP? The crown slips at world’s biggest advertising group - WPP's market cap has plummeted by 84%, prompting talk of a once-unthinkable breakup, takeover, or exclusion from the FTSE 100 index. Some say new CEO Cindy Rose has about a year to turn it around.  

The New York Times Launches TikTok-Inspired ‘Watch’ Tab - A new Watch tab brings short-form vertical video and a swipeable feed to the Gray Lady's app. 

MMA Global Launches Bold New Era as the Marketing + Media Alliance, Advancing Marketers’ Ability to Create Value - The MMA (once known as the Mobile Marketing Association) has officially rebranded, cementing its evolution from a mobile-focused to a CMO-led organization.

Amazon says it has resolved internet services outage that left websites and apps lagging around the world - Amazon Web Services wrecked the internet Monday when it went down, taking with it games, publishers, streaming platforms, and other apps used by millions of people.

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