Google is testing a replacement for third-party cookies
2 years, 10 months ago

Google is testing a replacement for third-party cookies

The Hindu  

Google is testing a replacement for third-party cookies after experimenting with its Federated Learning of Cohorts concept for nearly a year. The feature would let the browser recognise five topics every week based on the user’s recent browsing history. The topic identification will be done within the user’s device, without sharing data with external servers, including Google servers, the company said, adding that “topics are kept for only three weeks” and the older ones are deleted. “Topics was informed by our learning and widespread community feedback from our earlier FLoC trials, and replaces our FLoC proposal,” Vinay Goel, Principal Privacy Engineer at Google said. “Soon, we will launch a developer trial of Topics in Chrome that includes user controls, and enables website developers and the ads industry to try it out,” Goel noted, adding that the final design of how Topics works will be decided based on feedback and what the firm learns in the trial.

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History of this topic

Google steps up privacy, restricts third-party cookies for 1% of Chrome users
11 months, 2 weeks ago

Google steps up privacy, restricts third-party cookies for 1% of Chrome users

The Hindu  

Google has started restricting third-party cookies for 1% of those who use its Chrome browser, shared the company in a blog post. However, they can also intrude on users’ privacy and many sites offer users the option of turning off such cookies. In addition to having their cookies turned off, the 1% of Chrome users receiving the update will also …

Google to turn off cookies for 30 million users today with Chrome's new feature ‘Tracking Protection’
11 months, 3 weeks ago

Google to turn off cookies for 30 million users today with Chrome's new feature ‘Tracking Protection’

Hindustan Times  

In December, IT giant Google announced that it will be putting an end to the cookies on its browser Google Chrome for 30 million people across the world, or around 1 percent of the total users of Google Chrome. Google said that the company will automatically block third-party cookies for millions of Chrome users on January 4, preventing other websites …

Google proposes Topics API to replace tracking cookies as FLoC is abandoned
2 years, 10 months ago

Google proposes Topics API to replace tracking cookies as FLoC is abandoned

Hindustan Times  

Google is making changes, again, to how it approaches the need for a more private browsing experience for web users. At the same time, it is developing tools that’ll help advertisers show relevant The Topics API, what Google calls a proposal, comes as a replacement for the FLoC, which was propped up last year. The need for a new method …

Google, Meta fined by France for cookie breach
2 years, 11 months ago

Google, Meta fined by France for cookie breach

The Hindu  

France's data privacy watchdog CNIL said on Thursday it had fined Alphabet's Google 150 million euros for making it difficult for internet users to refuse online trackers known as cookies. "The CNIL has found that the facebook.com, google.fr and youtube.com websites do not allow to refuse cookies as easily as it is to accept them", the watchdog said in a …

Google makes pledges on browser cookies to appease U.K. regulatorinter
3 years ago

Google makes pledges on browser cookies to appease U.K. regulatorinter

The Hindu  

Google has pledged more restrictions on its use of data from its Chrome browser to address concerns raised by Britain's competition regulator about its plan to ban third-party cookies that advertisers use to track consumers. The Competition and Markets Authority has been investigating Google's plan to cut support for some cookies in Chrome - an initiative called the "Privacy Sandbox" …

Google’s browser cookies plan anti-competitive, advertisers tell EU
3 years, 2 months ago

Google’s browser cookies plan anti-competitive, advertisers tell EU

The Hindu  

Google's plan to block a popular web tracking tool called "cookies" is anti-competitive, a group of advertisers, publishers and tech companies said in a complaint to EU antitrust regulators. The grievance could boost the European Commission's investigation opened in June into Alphabet unit Google's Privacy Sandbox which the company said could allow businesses to target clusters of consumers without identifying …

Google delays third-party cookies removal amid regulatory scrutiny
3 years, 6 months ago

Google delays third-party cookies removal amid regulatory scrutiny

The Hindu  

Google on Thursday said it will not phase out third party cookies until late 2023, almost two years later than its initial removal time of early 2022. Its decision to phase out third-party cookies over a three-month period, starting in mid-2023 and ending in late 2023, is subject to a commitment made to United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority. Google …

Google delays phase out of tracking tech by nearly 2 years
3 years, 6 months ago

Google delays phase out of tracking tech by nearly 2 years

Associated Press  

LONDON — Google will delay by nearly two years the phase out of Chrome web browser technology that tracks users for ad purposes, saying that it needs more time to develop a replacement system. Google is retiring third-party cookies as it overhauls Chrome to tighten privacy, but the proposals have shaken up the online advertising industry, raising fears that replacement …

Google delays Chrome's blocking of tracking cookies to late 2023
3 years, 6 months ago

Google delays Chrome's blocking of tracking cookies to late 2023

Live Mint  

Google's Chrome web browser will not fully block tracking cookies until late 2023, the Alphabet Inc company said on Thursday, delaying by nearly two years a move that has drawn antitrust concerns from competitors and regulators. Google is working with the ad industry on technologies that could replace the tracking capabilities of cookies while better protecting online privacy. It now …

U.K. competition watchdog secures Google commitments on third-party cookies
3 years, 6 months ago

U.K. competition watchdog secures Google commitments on third-party cookies

The Hindu  

Britain's competition regulator said on Friday it had secured commitments from Google about the tech giant's proposal to remove third-party cookies from its Chrome browser. The Competition and Markets Authority said the commitments were a result of action it launched against the U.S. company in January following concerns that its proposals could restrict competition in digital advertising. Google had said …

Google’s new ad tracking tech to be blocked by WordPress
3 years, 8 months ago

Google’s new ad tracking tech to be blocked by WordPress

The Hindu  

WordPress, an open-source content management system, said it will block Google’s new ad tracking technology as the company sees it as a security concern. Google’s Federated Learning of Cohorts is a new ad tracking feature that will replace third-party cookies. Google started testing the feature recently ; it uses an algorithm to place people with similar browsing histories in a …

Google’s new ad tracking tool called into question by rival search engine
3 years, 8 months ago

Google’s new ad tracking tool called into question by rival search engine

The Hindu  

Google’s ad tracking has invited criticism from privacy advocates around the world. The alternate search engine says that Google’s FLoC is already in Chrome and automatically turned on for millions of users. “That’s why if Google insists on moving forward with FLoC, they should make it explicitly opt-in for all users.” DuckDuckGo also noted that digital rights group Electronic Frontier …

Google starts testing replacement for third-party cookies
3 years, 8 months ago

Google starts testing replacement for third-party cookies

The Hindu  

Google on Tuesday said it is rolling out Federated Learning of Cohorts, its replacement for third-party cookies, as a developer origin trial in Chrome. FLoC gathers data based on the behaviour of groups called cohorts, allowing advertisers to show relevant ads without identifying an individual personally. “With FLoC, your browser determines which cohort corresponds most closely to your recent web …

Google’s privacy push draws U.S. antitrust scrutiny
3 years, 9 months ago

Google’s privacy push draws U.S. antitrust scrutiny

The Hindu  

Google's plan to block a popular web tracking tool called "cookies" is a source of concern for U.S. Justice Department investigators who have been asking advertising industry executives whether the move by the search giant will hobble its smaller rivals, people familiar with the situation said. Investigators are asking whether Google is using Chrome, which has 60% global market share, …

Editorial: Google renounces web tracking, but protecting privacy will take much more
3 years, 9 months ago

Editorial: Google renounces web tracking, but protecting privacy will take much more

LA Times  

The commercial internet developed with so little regard for privacy, tech companies have been able to turn personal data into hefty profits, raising billions of dollars off their ability to collect and sell information about anyone who strayed within hailing distance of their software. Google declared in a blog post Wednesday that it would no longer use or support third-party …

Google Privacy, Advertising and Their Claims of Not Tracking You Online - News18
3 years, 9 months ago

Google Privacy, Advertising and Their Claims of Not Tracking You Online - News18

News 18  

Google is finally giving up on third party cookie tracking. Anyone on the internet today have either gotten too used to being tracked and served with targeted What is Google’s privacy pitch The blog post by David Temkin, product management director for Google Ads, Privacy and Trust underlines one positive thing – users, after all, have taken cognisance of the …

Google won't use other web tracking tools after phasing out cookies
3 years, 9 months ago

Google won't use other web tracking tools after phasing out cookies

The Hindu  

Alphabet Inc's Google will not build or use alternate tools to track web browsing traffic once it begins phasing out existing technology from its Chrome browser next year, it said in a blog post on Wednesday, in a move that will reshape how online advertising works. Google first announced it would get rid of third-party cookies, which for decades has …

Google is moving away from diet of ’cookies’ to track users
3 years, 10 months ago

Google is moving away from diet of ’cookies’ to track users

Live Mint  

Google is weaning itself off user-tracking "cookies" which allow the web giant to deliver personalized ads but which also have raised the hackles of privacy defenders. "This approach effectively hides individuals 'in the crowd' and uses on-device processing to keep a person's web history private on the browser," Google product manager Chetna Bindra explained in unveiling the system called Federated …

Google says it's making progress in its plans to remove third-party cookies from Chrome browser
3 years, 10 months ago

Google says it's making progress in its plans to remove third-party cookies from Chrome browser

Firstpost  

Google says it’s making progress on plans to revamp Chrome user tracking technology aimed at improving privacy even as it faces challenges from regulators and officials. In a blog post, Google’s group product manager for user trust and privacy, Chetna Bindra, sought to ease fears about the project, saying the proposals will “help publishers and advertisers succeed while also protecting …

Google says Chrome cookie replacement plan making progress
3 years, 10 months ago

Google says Chrome cookie replacement plan making progress

The Hindu  

Google says it's making progress on plans to revamp Chrome user tracking technology aimed at improving privacy even as it faces challenges from regulators and officials. In a blog post, Google’s group product manager for user trust and privacy, Chetna Bindra, sought to ease fears about the project, saying the proposals will “help publishers and advertisers succeed while also protecting …

Google's FLoC Is a Privacy-Centric Alternative to Ad Cookies: Here's How It Works
3 years, 10 months ago

Google's FLoC Is a Privacy-Centric Alternative to Ad Cookies: Here's How It Works

News 18  

Mountain View, California-based giant Google is working on a new machine learning algorithm that aims to replace tracking cookies with privacy-focused alternatives. Google is calling the system Federated Learning of Cohorts, and will allow businesses to send ads to groups of potential customers rather than specific individuals. “Our tests of FLoC to reach in-market and affinity Google Audiences show that …

Google says Chrome cookie replacement plan making progress
3 years, 10 months ago

Google says Chrome cookie replacement plan making progress

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

Google says Chrome cookie replacement plan making progress
3 years, 10 months ago

Google says Chrome cookie replacement plan making progress

Associated Press  

LONDON — Google says it’s making progress on plans to revamp Chrome user tracking technology aimed at improving privacy even as it faces challenges from regulators and officials. In a blog post, Google’s group product manager for user trust and privacy, Chetna Bindra, sought to ease fears about the project, saying the proposals will “help publishers and advertisers succeed while …

U.K. watchdog investigates Google's ad data revamp proposals
3 years, 11 months ago

U.K. watchdog investigates Google's ad data revamp proposals

The Hindu  

Britain's competition watchdog said on Friday that it launched an investigation into Google's plan to overhaul its ad data system over worries it could leave even less room for rivals in the online ad industry. The Competition and Markets Authority said it opened a formal investigation into Google's proposals to remove so-called third-party cookies from its popular Chrome browser and …

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