This site tells you if Google’s new ad tech is ‘spying’ on you

[Chris Smith]

Google vowed a few weeks ago to stop allowing advertisers to track users online with third-party cookies, a move intended to improve user privacy. But Google also said at the time that it would introduce FLoC (or Federated Learning of Cohorts), a new technology in Chrome that will let it improve the anonymity of users while still collecting their browsing data for advertising purposes. Google said at the time that FLoC would be tested in a limited pilot run before it rolls out, but it didn't provide users with a straightforward way to opt out of testing. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) already criticized Google’s proposed FLoC tracker, arguing that this user behavior surveillance tool can still harm users' privacy. According to the advocacy group, FLoC is a terrible idea, and Google should cancel the project.

A different report explained how users can opt out of FLoC tracking. It turns out that all you have to do is block third-party cookies in Chrome, something that might not be immediately clear to the user. Google makes no mention of FLoC in the browser’s settings. Now, the EFF has gone one step further by creating a website that tells users whether they’ve been included in Google’s limited FLoC testing.

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This site tells you if Google’s new ad tech is ‘spying’ on you originally appeared on BGR.com on Sun, 11 Apr 2021 at 13:37:04 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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