Our new enemy: Google Topics (exFLoC)

[guigirl]

The lovable company does it again.

Chrome’s “Topics” advertising system is here, whether you want it or not
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/03/googles-topics-advertising-system-starts-rolling-out-to-chrome-canary/

Nightly Chrome canary builds can now track user interests and run ad auctions

Google is on a quest to kill the third-party web cookie, which is often used by advertisers to track users for targeted ads. Unlike other browser companies like Apple and Mozilla, which block third-party cookies outright, Google is one of the world's largest advertising companies. It doesn't want to kill the third-party cookie without first protecting its primary revenue source. Google seems to view user tracking as a mandatory part of Internet usage, and instead of third-party cookies, it wants to build a user-tracking system directly into its Chrome browser. Google's eye-roll-inducing name for this advertising system is the "Privacy Sandbox," and on Thursday, the company released its latest tracking solution in Chrome's nightly "Canary" builds.

Topics will have Chrome locally track your browsing history and build a list of interests, which Chrome will then share with advertisers whenever they ask for ad targeting.

Google's first swing at a Chrome user-tracking system was called FLoC, but after many privacy advocates spoke out against that idea, Google dropped it and pivoted to the current "Topics" solution. There isn't a huge difference between the two systems, other than it seems less likely that someone would be able to individually target a user with the Topics API. It's hard to not find both proposals extremely gross. 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.

[npro]

@guigirl said in FLoC --> “Topics” advertising system.:

"Privacy Sandbox,"

Next on Google: "Mafia Boss" renamed to "Saint"

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.

Not even sick, just

[Stardust]

What a nice thread!
and Google of course!

[guigirl]

@stardust All posts created in this thread that do not include a middle-finger, shall be flagged.

[guigirl]

@guigirl Oh geez, now i have to flag myself!

I did not think this thru carefully enough...

[TbGbe]

@guigirl I'm confused

Is this added to Chrome or to Chromium?

Or am I just too naive to think they are/should be different things?

Just in case

[guigirl]

@tbgbe said in FLoC --> “Topics” advertising system.:

to Chrome or to Chromium?

Ofc that's the right question, & tbh atm i don't know. The article ostensibly concerns chrome, but it does say

The latest Chromium Blog post laid out the current timeline, "Starting today, developers can begin testing globally the Topics, FLEDGE, and Attribution Reporting APIs in the Canary version of Chrome. We’ll progress to a limited number of Chrome Beta users as soon as possible. Once things are working smoothly in Beta, we’ll make API testing available in the stable version of Chrome to expand testing to more Chrome users."

Given the technical relationship of chrome to chromium, i confess in my cynicism i felixungered my way to concluding that it's coming to chromium not only chrome. It would be delightful if i'm wrong & it's only actual Chrome dolts oops users who are gonna cop this... but, i have a hard time trying to persuade myself that gargle won't want to infect the entire chromium userland rather than only their direct band of inbred lost souls.

[gargle ]

[TbGbe]

@guigirl If they do add this to chromium, presumably the APIs could be removed/disabled (given enough resources) by other devs.

[stilgarwolf]

@guigirl To Chromium: https://blog.chromium.org/2022/03/what-to-expect-from-ps-testing.html

[stilgarwolf]

@tbgbe I bet it will be deep buried in the code so no one could easily remove it.

[guigirl]

@stilgarwolf Yeah, i saw that several hours ago, & i gotta say, i was not at all pleased that my guess seems to have been right ... this is a clear case when being wrong would have been better.

[Catweazle]

My opinion on Google is very clear and it is not surprising at all that they try any petty trick to get to profile and track the user. It's not even worth the effort of raising my middle finger for this, in any case I don't have enough middle fingers to express what I think. Well, more work for our team.

[TbGbe]

@stilgarwolf Saw that but - it also ONLY mentions Chrome not chromium.

I would have expected the chromium blog to say chromium if that is what they meant!?

[npro]

@tbgbe They don't want people to know that there can be a browser with that name available, so it's Chrome. I'm sure they hate that Chromium exists in the first place, they keep it to pretend it's "open-source", where others can have a word <- we laugh here.

[stilgarwolf]

@tbgbe Chrome is just Chromium plus all "don't be evil" code google keeps closed.
Any changes to the API had to be made to the core, aka Chromium, too keep the engine consistent.

[DoctorG]

Gogl calls that new bad thing FLEDGE.
https://digiday.com/media/wtf-is-fledge/

And i thought Fledge means: growing up a bird and it can fly.
Bad, using such word to green wash the tracking and ad pollutioning internet.

[TbGbe]

@npro @stilgarwolf
So, you're saying Chromium is just the Snapshot version of Chrome

I get it now

[Catweazle]

@tbgbe , no, Chrome is a Chromium+Googles "ImprovetheuserspyingexperienceAPIs"

[TbGbe]

@catweazle But these "Topics" are

Googles "ImprovetheuserspyingexperienceAPIs"

checking today's calendar.

[Catweazle]

@tbgbe , yes April first, but I'm not shure if this is a joke. G has us too badly accustomed and we already know that FloC and idleAPIs are not going to be the first or the last tricks that they try to get our data.