Google tackles online privacy invasion, keeps browsing history secured

American multinational technology firm, Google LLC recently announced that it will not target online ads depending on the browsing history of users. The company also stated that it would not be developing any tools that can monitor individual user data across its various products.

The announcement comes along the heels of Google’s intention to phase out third-party cookie support, which is why it has been working on the Privacy Sandbox to develop technologies that preserve user identity while still benefiting marketers and publishers, cited sources with knowledge of the matter.

Once the third-party cookies are phased out, it would not create or use alternative identifiers to trail people as they search the web, said the company.

Keeping the internet open and available for all requires the need to take more measures to protect privacy, putting an end to third-party cookies as well as any technology used to monitor individuals as they search the web, Google said in a blog post announcing the changes.

Individuals don’t have to be monitored across the web in order to profit from relevant advertisements, it added. Google further stated that to reap the benefits of digital ads, advertisers do not need to monitor individual customers across the internet.

Google's products will be backed by APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that preserve privacy and stop monitoring people online while still delivering the desired results, sources cited.

Chetna Bindra, Product Manager at Google, earlier clarified the proposed Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC) scheme, stating that with this new method, individuals will remain hidden and their web history will be kept private on the browser.

As per the tech giant, FLoC suggests a novel technique for companies to target people with appropriate content and advertising by grouping people with common interests rather than using cookies to monitor individual users.

Google tested this privacy-first alternative to third-party cookies by developing simulations based on the principles described in Chrome's FLoC proposal, cited reliable sources.

Source Credit- https://www.business-standard.com/article/technology/google-to-stop-targeting-online-ads-based-on-browsing-history-121030700511_1.html