Google Makes Pledges on Browser Cookies To Appease UK Regulator (reuters.com) 29
Google has pledged more restrictions on its use of data from its Chrome browser to address concerns raised by Britain's competition regulator about its plan to ban third-party cookies that advertisers use to track consumers. From a report: The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been investigating Google's plan to cut support for some cookies in Chrome - an initiative called the "Privacy Sandbox" -- because it is worried it will impede competition in digital advertising. Alphabet's Google has said its users want more privacy when they are browsing the web, including not being tracked across sites.
Other players in the $250 billion global digital ad sector, however, have said the loss of cookies in the world's most popular browser will limit their ability to collect information for personalising ads and make them more reliant on Google's user databases. Google agreed earlier this year to not implement the plan without the CMA's sign-off, and said the changes agreed with the British regulator will apply globally.
Other players in the $250 billion global digital ad sector, however, have said the loss of cookies in the world's most popular browser will limit their ability to collect information for personalising ads and make them more reliant on Google's user databases. Google agreed earlier this year to not implement the plan without the CMA's sign-off, and said the changes agreed with the British regulator will apply globally.
NO!!! (Score:4, Funny)
Worst of both worlds (Score:5, Insightful)
This entire article reads like we're living in the worst of both worlds.
"We don't need privacy because companies that profit off of exploiting individualized data would be disadvantaged"
Re: (Score:2)
For the moment, correct. However, since ads work just fine without any tracking of the individual, there isn't an actual requirement for them to do any tracking at all.
What is it with EU regulators and cookies? (Score:2)
Re: What is it with EU regulators and cookies? (Score:1, Troll)
Because they know that if the simple client-side tracking disappears, they can tap into the inevitably more complex server-side, continuous tracking systems that develop.
Currently the cost factor is a big issue in the latter, but you make cookies disappear, the alternatives becomes a lot more palatable. Government knows this and wants to tap into it as well.
The Facebook tracker instead of a file sits in a persistent module loaded into your computer and simply tracks ALL pages, regardless of their cookie pol
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The UK has Boris Johnson. Unbeknownst to many, Boris and Trump are in fact Martian robots sent to Earth to destroy civilization prior to an invasion. Martians are also behind the inventions of Clippy and Autocorrect.
That sentence is too long (Score:5, Insightful)
Alphabet's Google has said its users want more privacy when they are browsing the web, including not being tracked across sites.
Google, your users want more privacy, period. Nobody buys your posturing. Everybody knows you don't give a shit about users' wants and needs. If you really cared, you would just fuck off and stop invading people's privacy altogether. Assholes.
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-- Larry Page
Nope, not used to it at all (Score:2)
And I don't see myself changing opinion. Ads aren't our lives.
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At least it's possible to regulate Google
Is it?
Why does it always feel like all elected officials and fiscal services in every country around the world always seem to compromise with Google and ask them to pretty-please play nice and pay a bit more taxes then? Funny, when I'm caught spying on my neighbor or fail to pay my taxes, I'm never treated that nicely.
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It's sad that every article about anything Google related immediately devolves into this kind of bollocks. It's impossible to have a grown-up discussion of the issues. In this case there is actually something interesting to talk about, but it gets drowned out by the Google hate.
I think some people honestly believe that Google really is recording every move they make online. That's how far divorced from reality the debate is now.
EU Leads The Way (Score:2)
For the end user, none of this makes any difference as far as how the internet works.
If you are an advertising company, you're going to tell everyone that this destroys the internet as we know it, because it changes their perspective.
For the standard business, they'll purchase whatever advertising is affordable and legal. It is debatable whether or not this affects them even slightly.
If the US isn't going to take privacy seriously, then I'm glad to see the rest of the world giving it a shot. You are either
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According to the summary, the UK leads the way.
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The UK has, in the past, led the way on many an invention and discovery. I would question whether it is currently capable of doing so.
Do-Not-Track must be respected (Score:2)
The Do-Not-Track header must be respected.
It is an option feature of browsers and often hidden away, so anybody that has it set shows a clear indication that the person doesn't want their personal private data process/stored.
This needs to be explicit law since the majority of companies actually ignore this this.
Pledging is not the same as donating (Score:2)
Google is damned if they do (Score:3)
Everybody else: "Bad Google! Stop tracking us!"
Google: "Ok, we're going to stop tracking everyone!"
Everybody else: "Bad Google! Some companies want to be able to track everyone!"
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That part you're missing is that they're not offering to stop tracking anybody, they're offering to use their browser to block the means that others use to track people, so that they can be even closer to an advertising monopoly.
Why is it that... (Score:2)
We need regulation globally! (Score:1)
Rip the bandage off I say go full nuclear (Score:1)
I for one is glad they will soon be unable to or have more difficulty to track us. As an example about a year or two ago I was shopping for a new vibrator because it keeps on disappearing and reappearing and with empty battery. No, do not even ask. Off topic. Anyway after I purchased a new one for my vibrator thief everyone in the house and friends who had used our internet suddenly started to get ads for sex toys. When I was in her age it would have caused me damage knowing how many people knew someone in