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This week, Google moved to end the third-party cookie as it hailed the switch to a “privacy first” website. But with rivals like Apple using privacy as a single selling point, what does that really mean?
This week, Google decided to end the third-party cookie, as it hailed the switch to a “privacy first” … [+]
Anadolu Agency
Google is one of several big tech companies that knows a lot about people; some would say too much. A large amount of this information is collected by tracking users on the web, so it might come as a surprise to find that Google has announced that it will stop this privacy-infringing practice.
The move to remove third-party cookies in Google’s Chrome browser was first announced in January 2020.
In a blog this week, Google’s director of product management, ad privacy and trust, David Temkin, praised the move to a “privacy first web,” and outlined the company’s decision to stop using cookies from third parties to track people while they browse.
“[The use of third-party cookies to track people] It has led to an erosion of trust. If digital advertising doesn’t evolve to address people’s growing concerns about their privacy and how their personal identity is used, we risk the future of the free and open web. “
Google knows that trust is a key factor in user decisions, just look at Apple’s privacy approach
The key word here is “trust”. People are becoming more aware that Google and Facebook are following their every move, and guess what? They do not like it. This has led to a number of initiatives from Apple, including its upcoming iOS 14.5 feature indicating the end of identifier for advertisers (IDFA).
Apple’s approach to privacy has proven popular. He’s effectively marketed himself as the cape-wearing big-tech superhero, and it’s no wonder Google wants a piece of this cake.
With this in mind, Google announced on its blog that it will not replace, as many had suspected, third-party cookie tracking with “alternate user-level identifiers.”
“Today, we make it explicit that once third-party cookies are removed, we will not create alternate identifiers to track people as they browse the web, nor will we use them in our products,” Temkin wrote.
What Google will use instead of third-party cookies and why it could be a problem
This obviously begs the question: what will Google use instead? As part of its so-called privacy sandbox, Google says it plans to use something called federated cohort learning (FLoC), which it claims can “hide people within large crowds of people with common interests.”
But as an article on Inc.com points out, this will still collect information about your web activity, only in the browser and not on the Google server, to identify you as part of a group.
“Instead of an ad network knowing that you were looking for new golf clubs and then showing you ads for golf clubs on the Internet, Chrome will create a profile of your interests and then identify you as part of a FloC. Advertisers can then bid to show their ads to say, 40-year-old dads who like to play golf, ”explains Inc.com’s Jason Aten.
Another critic is the privacy-focused organization EFF, which says FloC is a “terrible idea.”
“FLoC is meant to be a new way to make your browser profile that third-party trackers used to make themselves: in this case, reduce your recent browsing activity into a behavioral tag and then share it with websites and advertisers. .
“The technology will avoid the privacy risks of third-party cookies, but will create new ones in the process. It can also exacerbate many of the worst non-privacy issues with behavioral advertisements, including discrimination and predatory targeting. “
The Inc.com article also notes that much of this has to do with control: “Google has been very aggressive in developing the technology that comes after third-party tracking precisely so that it can be the one who controls whatever. that comes after third party tracking.. “
In other words, you want to be in control of your own destiny.
“Privacy Sandbox is an effort in partnership with the web community to reduce individual tracking while preserving the free and open web,” says Marshall Vale, Google product manager for Privacy Sandbox.
He says that FLoC is an “interest-based advertising proposition that relies on large anonymous groups,” rather than individuals as third-party cookies do today.
Vale says that FLoC works to “eliminate groups that can reveal sensitive categories such as race, sexuality or personal difficulties without knowing why they are sensitive,” adding that users will have controls to opt out of FLoC entirely.
Google’s business model is based on monetizing data for advertising.
It’s worth remembering that Google’s core business model is based on advertising. The product is free, so you pay in other ways.
“Like most big tech companies, Google’s business model is about data and how it can monetize the vast amount of personalized information at its fingertips in the form of ads,” says Jake Moore, specialist in ESET cybersecurity.
He warns that just because traditional ways of selling personal information to advertisers are being phased out, “doesn’t mean the big tech companies are hanging their hat just yet.”
“Tech companies now have to be more creative in how they can operate without crossing the fatal line into people’s privacy. Without even trying, Google knows a lot about us, but without cookies there are still many ways it can be done. “
One method is fingerprinting, which uses data about your devices, such as IP and device type, in an attempt to identify a user. “The advertiser who buys this data may not know personal details such as the username, but could successfully follow this user over the Internet and send them specifically targeted ads,” Moore warns.
Sean Wright says Google’s privacy move is “not a surprise,” adding that the Chrome browser is ultimately “catching up” with privacy-focused browsers like Safari and Firefox. “As advertising is one of Google’s main business models, I remain skeptical of its privacy claims first.”
If you are concerned about your privacy, it makes sense to avoid products that have a history of collecting user data. Wright, for example, recommends using a privacy-focused browser, like Brave or even Firefox, instead of Chrome if you’re concerned. “They do not face the same conflict of interest as Google.”
There’s no question about it: people are starting to care more about their privacy. It is true that Apple has successfully joined this trend, but for Google, whose data collection behavior in the past has often been criticized, the transition might not be that easy.
