Could Google down-rank publishers who decline to use its new Privacy Sandbox online advertising system, which is scheduled to come online in early 2025?

So far the search giant has not offered any assurance that declining to use Sandbox, the Google-controlled system which will replace publisher cookies on Chrome, won’t impact search rankings.

Google’s recent core update downgraded the visibility on search of most news brands, often by double-digit percentages. Google also saw a 12% lift in UK ad revenues last year, according to The Advertising Association/Warc, while revenues going to online news brands fell 5.8%.