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2.21Advanced7 min

Consent Mode v2 and Privacy Sandbox: What Remains After 2025

Lucas Blochberger··Updated 20 April 2026
Definition

Google deprecated all 10 Privacy Sandbox APIs on October 17, 2025 — third-party cookies remain in Chrome. Consent Mode v2 is mandatory for all Google Ads services in the EEA/UK since March 2024.

Key Takeaways

  • Privacy Sandbox: All 10 APIs discontinued on October 17, 2025
  • Third-party cookies remain enabled in Chrome
  • CMA tests: 85% attribution inaccuracy, 30% publisher revenue decline
  • Consent Mode v2: Mandatory for Google Ads in EEA/UK since March 2024
  • Four parameters: ad_storage, analytics_storage, ad_user_data, ad_personalization
  • Advanced Consent Mode: 15-25% conversion modeling uplift
  • German TTDSG: Explicit consent required for ALL non-essential cookies

The privacy landscape has simplified dramatically in 2025: Privacy Sandbox is dead, Consent Mode v2 is mandatory.

Privacy Sandbox: End

Google discontinued all 10 remaining Privacy Sandbox APIs on October 17, 2025. CMA tests showed 85 percent attribution inaccuracy and 30 percent publisher revenue decline — fatal flaws after six years of development. Third-party cookies remain active.

Consent Mode v2

Mandatory for all Google Ads Services in EEA/UK since March 2024. Four parameters must be signaled via a Google-certified CMP with IAB TCF. Advanced Consent Mode (load tags before consent, cookieless pings on rejection) enables conversion modeling with 15-25 percent uplift.

DACH-specific

German TTDSG/TDDDG (§25): Explicit prior consent required for all non-essential cookies. Google Tag Manager requires consent before activation. Swiss nDSG: Opt-out principle, cookie banner not mandatory.

Data & Statistics

Privacy Sandbox CMA-Tests: 85% Attribution-Ungenauigkeit

CMA Testing (2025)

Advanced Consent Mode: 15-25% Conversion-Modeling-Uplift

Google (2025)

Privacy and measurement can coexist. Consent Mode allows you to respect user choices while still getting aggregate insights.

Simo Ahava, Senior Data Advocate, Simmer

FAQ

Why was Privacy Sandbox discontinued?
The CMA tests showed 85% attribution inaccuracy and 30% publisher revenue decline — fatal flaws that ended the six-year initiative. Third-party cookies remain enabled by default in Chrome.
What is the difference between GDPR and TTDSG?
The German TTDSG/TDDDG (§25) requires explicit prior consent for all non-essential cookies and tracking — without exceptions for analytics. Google Tag Manager itself requires consent before activation. The Swiss nDSG, by contrast, follows an opt-out principle.