DuckDuckGo has been known as a security and privacy enthusiast due to its privacy-centered browser and now, the company is also offering a chrome extension that blocks Google's new ad targeting methods.
DuckDuckGo's Chrome Extension will Block Google's New Privacy Sandbox Ad Targeting Procedures
According to the story by Engadget, DuckDuckGo, a privacy-focused browser, has recently released an update to its chrome extension. The update directly blocks a part of Google's new Privacy Sandbox ad targeting procedures as further explained on Digi Day.
DuckDuckGo released a new blog post which announced its new features. The features include using the extension to block FLEDGE and Google Topcis.
Privacy Sandbox was Met with Scrutiny by Regulators and Privacy Advocates
Users can also go to Chrome settings in order to disable the "Privacy Sandbox." The new Google initiative is the company's way of arguing that they are more privacy-focused while still tracking and targetting users.
Targeting and tracking users is something Google does in order to better its online ads campaigns. The Privacy Sandbox update, however, was met with a lot of regulator and privacy advocate scrutiy according to MarTech and iapp.org.
Google's New Ad Targeting Method Will Surveil Users Automatically
Google's brand new ad tech also received criticism from DuckDuckGo. As of press time, the feature is still being tested out by search engine on a limited scale.
According to DuckDuckGo, they disagree with the arguments regarding Google Topics being a less invasive ad targeting procedure. They said that this is because Google Chrome will be able to surveil users automatically.
Google FLEDGE Also Received Its Fair Share of Criticism
Topics, as DuckDuckGo argues, surveil user activity and share their information with different parties. These parties include advertisers which can utilize user information even without their consent being asked.
Another feature which was called out by DuckDuckGo is Google's FLEDGE, which stands for First Locally-Executed Decision over Group Experiments. As noted by the privacy-focused browser, this is a way for Google to target users with ads wherever they go and is called an ad re-targetting method as explained in Ad Tech Explained.
Google FLEDGE Allows 'Re-Marketing' Through Relying on User Personal Identifiers
Google, unlike its older methods, claims that FLEDGE allows "re-marketing with relying on a personal identifier about users." To add, the Google Chrome browser will directly be loaded with FLEDGE instead of cookies like other traditional ad re-targetting methods.
The search engine giant, however, is aware of the criticism it has received and announced that they will be accepting feedback. Google notes that they will be open to feedback from regulators and privacy advocates while the company is still testing out its Privacy Sandbox testing.
Read Also: Typing Can Also Be Tracked by Websites? New Study Claims Password Leaks Happen Even Before Entering
Google Aims to Stop Third-Party Cookies Support by 2023
Privacy Sandbox received a "cautious stamp of approval" by UK's competition watchdog. To add, it took a while before Google was able to phase out the need for third-party cookies.
A new update regarding the Privacy Sandbox timeline was also announced. As per Google, by late 2023, for a three-month period, they will gradually stop third-party cookies support.
Related Article: How to Stay Safe Using Google Chrome Browser in 10 Easy Steps [2022]
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Written by Urian B.
