Google’s Privacy Paradox: Can the UK Protect Privacy without Harming Competition?

Since Spring 2021, authorities in the United Kingdom, in particular the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), have been facing a seemingly intractable challenge: Google’s Privacy Sandbox. Without such privacy initiatives, people’s data is extracted in ways that are harmful to them and to societies at large. Yet the paradox of Google’s initiative is that, by adopting privacy measures, the Privacy Sandbox can reinforce Google’s control over online advertising, potentially harming competition and ultimately consumers’ privacy interests. As of now, Google has halted the initiative due to industry concerns about its potential impact on competition, prompting authorities to consider options for safeguarding privacy online.

UK authorities, in particular the ICO and CMA, are facing the dilemma of what kind of privacy measures they can mandate without harming competition.