State antitrust guards are targeting Google’s plans to phase out third-party cookies, building on a major lawsuit filed last year. The group of 15 attorneys general, led by Texas, updated its complaint about Google yesterday to include a more detailed case against the search giant, including new allegations about Google’s strategic use of the Chrome browser. The new complaint is particularly focused on recent privacy updates for Chrome, which could better protect users’ personal data while also hedging Google’s position in the market.
The Texas lawsuit was filed in December and is one of three ongoing antitrust cases against Google. In the same month, the Colorado Attorney General led a group claiming the company was distorting competition by manipulating search results. A separate case from the Justice Department focuses on Google’s dominance of the Internet search and related advertising market.
Like the original Texas complaint, Tuesday’s updated submission focuses primarily on Google’s technology to target Internet advertising. The Attorney General alleges that Google used its ability to search, stream, and erase independent advertising platforms on videos and other markets, forcing small businesses and media outlets to use its system.
But in the updated complaint, the states apply this argument to Google’s “Privacy Sandbox” – a tool that is supposed to replace intrusive third-party cookies with a more limited system designed by Google.
“Google’s new scheme is to repel the entire section of the Internet that consumers access via Google’s Chrome browser,” the complaint reads. Blocking cookies can generally be a good thing – other browsers like Firefox and Safari have already done so. But Chrome dominates the browser market, and it’s part of a much larger Google product suite. The case argues that Google’s plans require advertisers to use it as a middleman and that it will make Google’s own advertising system more attractive.
Google has been scaling down the use of cookies for years, announcing earlier this month that it will not set up an alternative system for tracking users on the Internet. But critics of the company – including the Electronic Frontier Foundation – have criticized the efforts as self-serving. Now it looks like government regulators are taking this criticism and putting new legal pressure on Google’s efforts to block detection in Chrome.
“Google is trying to hide its true intentions behind a pretext of privacy,” the case continues. With Privacy Sandbox: ‘Google does not actually stop user profile or targeted ads; it puts Google’s Chrome browser at the center of detection and targeting. ‘
Google said the new allegations were based on a misunderstanding of Chrome’s privacy features. “The latest demands from Attorney General Paxton characterize many aspects of our business, including the steps we are taking with the Privacy Sandbox initiative to protect the privacy of individuals while browsing the Internet,” a representative said by Google. “These efforts have been welcomed by privacy advocates, advertisers and our own competitors as a step forward in protecting users’ privacy and free content. We will defend ourselves strongly against AG Paxton’s unfounded claims in court. ”
Updated 13:50 ET: Google’s statement added.