Digital and social

Google announces no new Chrome cookie controls as CMA reviews Privacy Sandbox commitments

Google has announced it will maintain its current approach to third-party cookie controls in Chrome and will not implement a new standalone prompt, marking a shift from its previous Privacy Sandbox plans. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is now reviewing the implications of this announcement for Google's existing commitments made under the 2022 Privacy Sandbox agreement. The decision comes as Google cites evolving privacy technology adoption, emerging AI opportunities, and regulatory changes since the Privacy Sandbox initiative launched in 2019. Google stated it will continue developing privacy-enhancing technologies and plans to launch IP Protection in Q3 2025.

CMA publishes guidance on 4Ps under the Digital Markets Competition Regime

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published guidance on 30 April 2025 on how it intends to implement the "4Ps", ie the four key principles it had announced in the context of its 2025–2026 annual plan in March 2025: pace, predictability, proportionality and process. The CMA's annual plan set out how the organisation intends to work with the new powers granted to it under the new Digital Markets Competition Regime by the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. The CMA aims to promote business trust and confidence through the 4Ps and encourage investment and innovation. The guidance sets out what the CMA has done previously to deliver on each principle, and what it intends to do in future.

ASA rulings—30 April 2025

A complaint against Groupon International Ltd and Jaoyeh Trading Ltd regarding misleading price claims was considered by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The ASA upheld the complaint.

Main challenges of EU AI Act-GDPR interplay identified by Member States

MLex: Potentially conflicting legal requirements, national governance approaches to ensure regulatory consistency, as well as clear legal advice to minimise the compliance burden, are the main issues seen by EU Member States in the interplay between the EU AI Act and the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (EU GDPR). European governments have pointed out that the two laws' diverging regulatory approaches might lead to conflicting outcomes, which should be avoided with systematic cooperation between the responsible authorities.