Context :
Google Has a New Plan to
Kill Cookies. People Are Still Mad /
Wired / 27 Jan 2022
Extract :
Google’s
plan to remove third-party cookies from Chrome hasn’t gone smoothly.
This week the company announced it was scrapping Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC), a key part of its plan, and
replacing it with a new system called Topics
In the third quarter of 2021 alone, the search giant
made $53 billion from advertising
Topics works by analyzing your browsing history to work out the things you’re
interested in.
If you like cars, for example, Topics
will show you adverts for cars on the websites that you visit. To work out that
you like cars, each website that uses Google’s Topics API will be assigned an overall category.
A website about tattooing, for instance, may fall into the body art category; a city newspaper would likely be
assigned to the local news
category.
As you move around the web, Chrome will record the categories you visit the
most.
Then, each week, your five most popular categories will be gathered up—and a sixth random topic will be
added to add some noise in the system.
These six categories are then shared with the websites you visit and are used to target the ads you see. The data is deleted after three
weeks.
That earlier system used browsing history
to group people
with thousands of others with similar interests.
If Google’s algorithms determined you were interested in
dogs, you’d be put in the same category as others who like dogs.
He says that under FLoC, people could
have been grouped into more than 30,000 different categories, which would allow advertisers
to gain specific knowledge of their interests.
This information could then be combined with other data to build up an incredibly detailed picture of
each and every one of us.
This is less likely in Topics,
as there are around 350 interest
categories that can be
assigned to people..
Another potential difference between FLoC and Topics is
that Google claims the latter will attempt to avoid assigning “sensitive
categories” to people—such as allowing individuals to be shown ads based on
their race or gender.
FLoC was criticized for potentially being able
to generate or infer sensitive
attributes through
people’s behavior and interests.
Google says people will be given more control over the
interest areas that are assigned to them and can change settings, block topics, and opt out in
Chrome.
But, realistically, it’s unlikely many people will change
Chrome’s settings in this way.
Paul Bannister, cofounder of the ad management firm
CafeMedia, says that Topics seems to be a
step forward for people’s privacy. “Those topics are
fixed, so it's harder to find unique segments that are really interesting to
your marketing campaign,” he says.
Ultimately, Topics may help Google stay at the top of the
advertising industry for decades
to come.
Regulators could force Google to change its approach—the
CMA’s investigation into Google’s Privacy Sandbox is still on going, and the
regulator has already told the firm to make some
changes. While
Apple’s advertising business is rapidly
growing, Google will
still be Google.
The company owns the world’s
largest browser and search engine, and a huge advertising network. Topics might
differ from FLoC, but it’s purpose remains the
same: to maintain
Google’s control over the ads we see.
This must be read in conjunction with following data (
tabulated by me, to provide a Bird’s Eye View ) which appeared in Eco. Times /
06 Feb 2022 / Page 8 :
DIGITAL INTRUSION ? KNOW WHAT YOUR
APPS CAN ACCESS ( All figures in % )
|
No |
Parameter |
Android Mobile App |
IoS Mobile App |
Indian Children App |
Android Top Permissions |
IoS Top Permissions |
Children Privacy |
|
1 |
Have access to your exact precise location |
75 |
|
|
74 |
78 |
7 |
|
2 |
Have access to your Camera |
68 |
69 |
21 |
68 |
69 |
|
|
3 |
Have access to your Microphone |
54 |
|
|
54 |
49 |
14 |
|
4 |
Have access to your location even when not in use |
|
56 |
|
|
|
|
|
5 |
Have access to your Contacts |
|
41 |
|
46 |
41 |
10 |
|
6 |
Have access to
your Phone Details |
|
|
28 |
|
|
28 |
|
7 |
Served In-App Ads |
|
|
55 |
|
|
55 |
|
8 |
Provide In-app Purchase |
|
|
|
|
|
55 |
|
9 |
Accessed at least one Dangerous Permission |
|
|
87 |
|
|
|
|
10 |
Can read your SMS |
|
|
|
33 |
|
|
|
11 |
Can use your Fingerprints |
|
|
|
22 |
|
|
|
12 |
Can use your Calculator |
|
|
|
|
29 |
|
|
13 |
Can read your Photos |
|
|
|
|
62 |
|
|
14 |
Can access your files on storage |
|
|
|
|
|
62 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ON WEBSITES :
98 % …. Websites
have at least one tracker embedded
21 ………..
Third Party Trackers are embedded in a website on an average. Out of these, 8 are Third Party
Cookies
98 %.......Websites’
embedded 3rd parties were involved in Advertising & Tracking
REMARKS :
Ø The number of Android apps accessing camera and microphone permissions in smartphones, has
increased from 45 % to 68 % and
28 % to 54 % , in the last 5 years, revealed
a study by data security and privacy firm ARRKA
Ø It comprised 201 mobile apps and
websites and included 100 Indian Organizations, across 25 industries
Ø The firm has been tracking these for the last 5 years
and found that :
# Google is the
SINGLE LARGEST third party with whom data is being shared,
# followed by
Facebook
Ø Google’s trackers are present in 97 % websites and
Facebook’s trackers in 55 % websites
Ø
Around
42 % Android Apps share data with Google and 25 % with Facebook
Then the following
news-report appeared today :
Govt
willing to bring stricter social media rules: Vaishnaw to Rajya Sabha /
HT / 07 Feb 2022
Extract :
The government is willing to bring stricter
rules to make social media companies accountable and ensure the safety of citizens on the internet if there is consensus in the House, Union electronics and information technology minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told Rajya Sabha on Friday.
The contours of
the law were being discussed in the ministry. Officials familiar with the
development said the new legislation may also expand to include user harm regulation and response, child safety concerns, moderation of political content,
definitions and regulation of high-risk artificial technology, and privacy concerns surrounding new equipment such as wearable
devices.
Dear Shri Vaishnawji,
After reading the
above-mentioned findings of ARRKA , I believe there
will be a broad / general agreement among our MPs for the need to enact a
suitable law “ to make social media companies accountable “
But, if you
sincerely desire to bring about a QUICK – UNANIMOUS agreement ( not
one dissent ), then tell the MPs :
We firmly believe that
:
# Personal Data is the ‘ sole / exclusive / private ‘ property of each individual
user of Social Media
# Social Media ( including websites / apps ) have no right to collect / compile /
collate such
USER DATA (
then SELL it to advertisers ( for targeting advts )
# Social Media users have exclusive rights to SELL their data ( get fairly
compensated for their data )
# Our proposed law will enable the users to
decide :
What personal data she wants to SELL – and to Who ( of course, Anonymized
and Aggregated ) – at
below
# Our proposed Portal will enable advertisers to search USER DATABASE /
generate DEMOGRAPHIC
PROFILES
shortlisted users ) for sending out TARGETED ADVTs ( delivered
through that Portal – hence no revealing of mobile number / e-mail ID )
# This mechanism will mean that no Social Media website / app , need to be
granted any “ permission “ by
the
# We estimate that each Social Media User will receive ( approx. ) Rs 30,000 per
month by registering his /
SARAL [Single Authentic Registration
( for ) Anywhere Login ] [10 Feb 2019 ]
Digital Dividend from Demographic Data [
4 D ]…………………………. [ 14 Feb 2019 ]
With regards,
Hemen Parekh
/ hcp@RcruitGuru.com / 07
Feb 2022
Related
Readings :
Thank
You, Ashwinibhai – Rajeevbhai……………………… [ 27 Dec 2021 ]
Only Answer
: a Statutory Warning ………………… …..[10 Nov 2018 ]
Monetizing Personal Data, using Web
3.0 ? ……………[ 05 Dec 2021 ]
Thank You, Shri Saurabh Garg …………………………….[ 18 Dec 2021 ]