Google Chrome’s contentious engagement with user tracking is undergoing another significant shift. The technology company has announced an ambitious upgrade aimed at addressing tracking cookies, a feature that drew considerable backlash last year. New allegations regarding data collection during private browsing sessions have reignited concerns.
Google is developing an update to introduce a single “global prompt” system, akin to Apple’s privacy control measures. This feature is designed to offer Chrome users a clear option to either permit or block tracking, with a majority likely to choose enhanced privacy.
Nevertheless, the timeline for this update remains unclear, and numerous stakeholders have expressed apprehension regarding potential competitive advantages for Google, particularly in light of the company’s extensive account-based tracking capabilities. The implementation of this update is further complicated by the scrutiny of regulatory authorities examining the ramifications of such a change.
In a troubling development, Google has discreetly expanded its digital fingerprinting capabilities, effective February 16th. This action stands in stark contrast to the company’s 2019 position, in which it denounced fingerprinting as “wrong” and prohibited its application.
The timing of this policy shift is particularly significant, as it aligns with Google’s much-publicized intentions to improve user privacy through the introduction of a one-time global prompt system. The broadened fingerprinting capabilities extend well beyond conventional web browsing, encompassing users’ smart TVs, gaming consoles, and other connected devices, thereby granting advertisers unprecedented access to intricate user behavior data.
According to a report by BBC News, Martin Thomson from Mozilla expressed concerns regarding this Google update, stating:
Privacy campaigners have called Google’s new rules on tracking people online ‘a blatant disregard for user privacy. Google has given itself – and the advertising industry it dominates – permission to use a form of tracking that people can’t do much to stop.
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