Google will not detect you if you visit different websites after phasing out third-party cookies, the company says.
Stephen Shankland / CNET
Google said on Wednesday it would stop selling ads based on individuals browsing various websites, a move that could shake up the digital advertising industry as consumers demand more privacy online.
Last year, the search giant said it would phase out third-party cookies, small pieces of code, that would allow advertisers to track user history on the Internet. After being removed from Google’s Chrome browser next year, the company has made it clear that it will not use or invest in alternative tracking techniques that can identify people on an individual level.
“If digital advertising is not evolving to address the growing concerns people have about their privacy and how their personal identities are being used, we’re risking the future of the free and open web,” said David Temkin, Google’s product manager , focused on privacy. said in a blog post. “People do not have to accept that they are tracked on the internet to reap the benefits of relevant advertising.”
The announcement comes as Google’s search and targeted advertising cases come under increasing attack by lawmakers as well as state and federal prosecutors. The technology giant is facing three major antitrust lawsuits, including a major case by the U.S. Department of Justice, and another lawsuit by a two-party coalition of states.
Wednesday’s announcement is part of the search giant’s quest for a ‘privacy sandbox’, designed to keep publishers focused on people’s interests without compromising their privacy. The company has identified breakthroughs in AI as ‘federated learning’, which enables Google’s systems to be made smarter by using raw data on people’s devices, instead of transmitting it to the cloud so that Google does not share the information. actually see but still learn from It.
Google’s statement not to use alternative tracking technologies will surely ruin others in the advertising technology industry who plan to replace third-party cookies with other software that individuals can track, such as one method that addresses people’s email addresses use.
“We do not believe that these solutions will meet the rising consumer expectations for privacy, nor will they be able to meet rapidly changing regulatory constraints, and therefore are not a sustainable investment in the long run,” Temkin said. .
Still, there is a catch for Google’s update. The changes do not apply to ‘first party’ data that companies collect directly from consumers. This includes Google’s own products, such as Gmail, YouTube, and Chrome. The changes also apply only to websites and not to mobile phones.