So why would Google close down its goldmine?
More and more people are becoming aware of the large amounts of data that companies collect. And third-party cookies are currently symbolic of that data greed . As a result, Google’s competitors have decided to give up third-party cookies. They are no longer allowed on browsers such as Safari and Firefox. Apple has even made privacy its unique selling point , by taking on data-hungry companies such as Facebook and Google to protect the privacy of its own users. That said, Apple can only do this because it makes money from selling products, not data.
Furthermore, the GDPR requires users to consent to italy telegram data third-party cookies, and that number is steadily decreasing. There is a clear anti-cookie trend visible , both among users and companies.
Not to miss the boat, Google has now promised to no longer track individual behavior with third-party cookies. The giant has come up with an alternative two-part method , and thus promises to focus more on the privacy protection of its users.
Privacy sandbox
Google will introduce a so-called 'privacy sandbox' as an alternative to cookies. This means that it will no longer use cookies, but the Google Chrome browser to track your online behavior. The data will be collected in a secure container, the infamous 'sandbox'. This offers a bit more security, but Google will still collect data locally via your browser.
Federated learning cohorts (FLoC)
Instead of tracking individual behavior, the data Google Chrome collects is broken down into “cohorts,” or categories of users (in our example, anyone interested in buying a pair of sunglasses). Each category is further divided into demographic groups. Google can still sell targeted ad space, but it can no longer leverage individual user data, since that “cohort data” is anonymous. How exactly the company will do that and how many “cohorts” it will create is, in typical Google fashion, a complete mystery.
