Google: Out with the FLoC, In with the Topics API




Of course Google will never abandon targeted advertising in favor of just general advertising. They wouldn’t be able to charge their customers so much money. :roll_eyes:

The topics are “thoughtfully curated,” so… there’s that.

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“Google argues that it is mandatory that it builds a user tracking and advertising system into Chrome, and the company says it won’t block third-party cookies until it accomplishes that.”

Ad auctions! Jeez. Maybe they’ll all turn on each other.

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I get the impression that all the anti-tracking publicity (and legislation) is starting to make an impression on Google. They seem really intent on revamping and repackaging their spyware however they can.

“Feedback from Apple was positive.”

Well no shit.

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Since i will not bore you. Its time to teach your children and your Community how to read, share and analyze Information through scripts and collect information, time saving without advertise and popular browsers.

@amarok
From their view, its not spying. Its a Service for you, like a digital servant a provision of service from that company to collect and offer you just a small best part of information for your best.

There is no bad hidden agenda behind this, in the first place. Just like in Politic, if you feel and execute kind of power you will use it or sell it.

And we a are in a situation where computers, network and AI rule out Humans/Services with power in daily humans live. Like when you have no humans/friends to spent time with your Children, but Vice-Assistants, Smartphones, Computers Apps and folks on the Web. In later iterations this power will aggregate and sold.

No doubt! :wink:

Maybe not hidden, but definitely bad, in my opinion.

Opaquely slurping up, tracking, cataloguing, classifying, and storing the private characteristics, behavior, and location of most of the people on Earth, using it to increase their revenue and for who knows how long, all while exerting undue influence on the rest of the browser market, the design of web pages and applications whose creators are enticed to include their tracking and analytics tools, including in mobile software, frequently manipulating access to information as a result of said tracking… Of course, you can choose not to use specific Google applications, but Google’s influence still permeates everything digital. (Facebook is just as bad, if not worse.)

Google has created some very useful services, of course, but we all know for what ultimate purpose. Development and web real estate aren’t free, but maybe we need some other monetization paradigms besides user exploitation in extremis and ad infinitum. (And I don’t know what those could be. Lol!)

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Bad news from privacy extension authors:

Coming soon to a Chrome/chromium browser near you:

That FLEDGE API sounds… awesome.

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From the Register’s article:

“…for running an on-device ad auction based on the user’s interests;”

In other words, spying on users directly on the phone in real time. “That’s totally OK, Google. :roll_eyes: (P.S. Die!)”

More on Google’s so-called “Privacy Sandbox:” https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/02/googles-privacy-sandbox-advertising-system-arrives-on-android-in-beta/