Google's new Android Privacy Sandbox is meant to act like a protective barrier that stands between the user's personal data and intrusive third-party ads. While the company has already proposed ways of setting new privacy standards for its users, they won't be fully implemented until at least two years. Last year, Google introduced better privacy regulations by updating the Play Store with new policies.

Among these changes is users' ability to reset their Android advertising ID identifier or disable it from being used for personalized ads. However, with Google deeming the blunt approach to blocking ad-tracking "ineffective," such as Apple's App Tracking Transparency initiative, it now wants to develop better, more efficient policies. Ones that respect both user privacy and businesses relying on ad revenue. The tech giant will be going through some roadblocks before this can happen, but some might be wonder what changes they can expect once the new Privacy Sandbox finally takes effect.

Related: If You Own One Of These Pixel Phones, You Need To Upgrade Soon

Google specified via its blog that its Android Privacy Sandbox would be a multi-year initiative and a joint effort with app developers to produce a safer approach to ad tracking. It aims to develop better technology that improves current ad tracking and user privacy standards, eventually replacing older technologies like third-party cookies or advertising IDs. The initiative also hopes to block the usage of sneaky tracking techniques like fingerprinting, which shady third-parties use to put together data from various sources, like local phone storage or browser data, to form a better picture of an unsuspecting user's personal information.

How Android Privacy Sandbox Works: Google's Proposed Ideas

Android Privacy Sandbox Infomercial via Google

Google's already planning on bolstering photo privacy in Android 13, and Privacy Sandbox hopes to do the same, albeit with more emphasis on ads on mobile apps. One of its proposed ways is by running the developer's apps, and their interaction with users, through an isolated and regulated environment called Software Development Kit Runtime. This acts as a sort of middleman or protective zone that safeguards users from apps or third-party sources that would secretly track their usage or provided information without their consent while monitoring and limiting such activities within its boundaries.

Another proposal is through its custom audience targeting and interest-based advertising system. These platforms limit apps from sharing customer information to third-parties ad servers and help advertisers find their general target audience without the need of tracking users individually. This also exposes users only to ads relevant to their interests, reducing any intrusive ads that incessantly show up. Users would also have access to a list of Topics based on their app usage and remove irrelevant ones so that the associated ads won't target them. Of course, these proposals are subject to change, as Google will still be in the process of working with developers to find the proper implementation of its Privacy Sandbox for quite some time. Regardless, users might see some gradual changes once Android 13 rolls out.

Next: Android 13 Developer Preview: Should You Try It?

Source: Google