Google Chrome has implemented a tracking and ad-curating platform named “Privacy Sandbox,” according to a company blog post. This initiative, which Google says now includes about 97% of Chrome users, has garnered mixed reactions, with some privacy experts voicing their criticism. Google, on the other hand, insists that this move is necessary to eliminate reliance on third-party cookies and fingerprinting.
For perspective, consider that over 80% of websites employ Google’s Adsense service to display ads. Adsense, to target ads effectively, embeds cookies into a user’s browser, collecting data that predicts a user’s specific interests. Since these cookies come from Google and not the visited website, they are often referred to as “third-party cookies.”
However, such practice has been met with disapproval from privacy advocates, and users have sought ways to block them. Safari, Firefox, and Brave, have already implemented default blocks on third-party cookies. Nonetheless, Chrome has argued that complete removal of third-party cookies could lead to more invasive workarounds, such as fingerprinting.
To further this, Google’s new Privacy Sandbox platform facilitates tracking user data within the browser itself. Google contends that eliminating the requirement for third-party cookies will enhance privacy. Despite this, they have highlighted that blocking of third-party cookies will not commence until a later date.
On the contrary, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an advocacy group for digital privacy, holds that Privacy Sandbox might potentially be more invasive than third-party cookies. The Privacy Sandbox still tracks users’ behavior, albeit within the browser and not through cookies.
Another browser, Brave, also incorporates a system called “Brave Ads” that tracks users’ behavior, and offers compensation in Basic Attention Token for the ads they view.
In essence, Google Chrome’s new data tracking protocol represents a significant shift in the internet advertising landscape. The effectiveness of this change in enhancing user privacy, however, remains a topic of ongoing scrutiny. It is clear that a delicate balance is to be struck between the requirements of targeted advertising and the desire for privacy – a balance that continues to evade the industry. The privacy implications of this move, and its impact on the advertising industry as a whole, will undoubtedly be an area of intense scrutiny and discourse in times to come.
Source: Cointelegraph
