Google Privacy Sandbox: Google unveiled the Privacy Sandbox, a game-changing development. The spread has reached most Chrome users and will soon contact all users. What does Privacy Sandbox do?
This feature update changes how Chrome collects and uses user data for marketers. Chrome no longer relies on third-party cookies for ad targeting; it now analyzes your browsing history directly.
This change, in progress since 2019, has sparked debate with privacy concerns.
Understanding how this change works and opting in or out is crucial. Chrome remains the most popular browser globally, with a 63% market share as of May 2023 (Safari is second with 13%).
Let’s consider what a cookie is.
In 1994, a Netscape computer worker named Lou Montulli invented the “cookie,” revolutionizing internet usage. Web pages could remember passwords, tastes, language settings, and shopping carts.
Initially, this innovation aimed to facilitate private information sharing between individuals and websites. It is a “1st-party cookie.” Within two years, marketers found ways to “hack” cookies for user tracking, leading to third-party cookies.
Think of a first-party cookie as a salesperson who helps you by holding your bags or clothes while you shop, but only in the store.
Third-party cookies are like a spy movie bug. It listens and shares what it hears with friends. This “spy” can track your visits and information by placing a cookie on other websites. How does Facebook know which ads to show you? Primarily because of third-party cookies.
Cookies were used to spy on people online until the EU and California passed GDPR and CCPA in 2018. Thank the GDPR and CCPA for more cookie permission pop-ups.
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Apple’s Safari and Mozilla’s Firefox were the first to stop accepting third-party cookies.
Since Google is a significant player in online advertising (57.8% of its income in 2023 will be from ads), it has hesitated to turn off third-party cookies in Chrome. The Privacy Sandbox aims to eliminate cookies by 2024.
How is the Privacy Sandbox different from traditional cookies?
The Privacy Sandbox’s features can be complex, but here are a few key points:
Chrome will use “advertising topics” instead of third-party cookies to spread ads online. These are summaries of your online activities saved locally and accessed by companies for targeted ads.
Features like “Protected Audience” show ads for goods you’ve viewed, and “Attribution Reporting” tracks where you click ads.
Instead of third-party cookies, Chrome will incorporate the features for spying.
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