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Google's Chrome Browser Analyzing Your Browsing History with so-called "Privacy Sandbox" Feature (beehaw.org)

submitted 9 months ago by esaru@beehaw.org to c/technology@beehaw.org

18 comments fedilink hide all child comments

For nearly two years now, Google has been gradually rolling out a feature to all Chrome users that analyzes their browsing history within the browser itself. This feature aims to replace third-party cookies and individual tracking by categorizing you into an interest category and sharing that category with advertisers. It's like having a function in your credit card account that evaluates your activities to pass on your spending habits to the advertising industry, so they can send you tailored ads. Ironically, it's called "Privacy Sandbox". To check if this is enabled in your Chrome or Chromium browser, simply enter chrome://settings/adPrivacy into the address bar (yes, the configuration page is called "Ad Privacy"). However, I wouldn't even want to have this built into my browser, no matter if activated or not. If you're not a fan of this, you might want to consider switching to Firefox.

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[–] EmergMemeHologram@startrek.website 8 points 9 months ago (4 children)

Honestly this is better than the old suit, but I still don't want it.

What I would like: this is a webpage about cars, maybe the ads should be relevant to the content, instead of images of disgusting toenails that say "your doctor will eat your baby if you don't read this"

[–] Eggyhead@kbin.social 9 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I honestly wonder if the advertising industry is just a house of cards, with everyone so far up their own asses that they couldn’t possibly realize how much energy, resources, and dignity is just getting wasted.

I can’t help but feel sorry for whoever thought their “targeted advertising” worked when I just accidentally picked up my tablet and clumsily landed a finger on a banner, or let an entire video ad play because I was preoccupied and not physically able to skip it. The only ads I genuinely pay attention to are the promotional newsletters I actually sign up for out of legitimate interest from those sites, not out of pride or anything, it’s just the only instance where actually find myself interested in what’s being advertised. Everything else out there in the “targeted” web is just white noise to me, and people think it’s a gold mine.

[–] dgriffith@aussie.zone 9 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

I buy a washing machine after a 20 minute search and going to a click and collect website to place an order with a local big brand store.

For the next 6 months:

"HEY CHECK OUT THESE WASHING MACHINES LOOK AT THESE REVIEWS WASHING MACHINES ON SPECIAL CLIIIICK MEEEEEE"

[–] esaru@beehaw.org 7 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I'd expect that the advertisement is relevant to the content of the page. But I don't know, as I haven't seen a single bit of advertisement for the last 15 years.

[–] admin@beehaw.org 8 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I haven’t seen a single bit of advertisement for the last 15 years.

Same...weird how most people don't know about ad blocking strategies.

[–] moody@lemmings.world 8 points 9 months ago

People don't realize how bad things are until they experience them differently.

[–] jarfil@beehaw.org 3 points 9 months ago

maybe the ads should be relevant to the content

Back in the old days, that used to be how it worked... but soon ad networks learned that showing ads "relevant to the user" had better click-through rates than showing ads "relevant to the content", with the content becoming only a data point to classify the user for the best ads that might sway them.

Soon after, advertisers caught on the trend, started blindly paying for ads targeted at user profiles, then ad networks stopped showing stats about whether content-targeted or user-targeted ads were getting better conversion rates, and everyone has been coasting on blind faith in "the algorithm" ever since.

[–] thejml@lemm.ee 1 points 9 months ago

100%. And If I’m watching a YouTube video on computers and technology, I don’t need ads for tampons and car insurance.