Google is trying to balance the growing demands of consumers who care about privacy with the financial needs of developers and advertisers. Alphabet Inc. asks for the opinion of these stakeholders and is slowly developing a new privacy standard for web browsing called Privacy Sandbox. At the same time, Google has a vested interest in helping partners continue to generate revenue by targeting ads to users of Android devices and measuring the effectiveness of these commercials.
“We’re always looking for ways to work with developers to raise the bar of privacy while creating a healthy ad-supported application ecosystem,” a Google spokesman said in a statement. In an update to the iPhone and iPad software called iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5, Apple adds a new feature called “Application Tracking Transparency.” This tool allows consumers to choose whether applications can collect data about them through other programs and websites. The move has shaken the digital advertising industry. Facebook and other companies have complained that this feature will limit their ability to effectively serve personalized advertising and generate revenue.
Some researchers think that Google’s decision is likely to be less stringent and will not require a request to enable data tracking, as in Apple. The study of Android, an alternative to Apple’s feature, is still at an early stage, and Google has not decided when and whether to make changes.
For advertisers to be satisfied with the improvement of privacy, discussions of Google’s solution for Android show that it may look like a planned change in the Chrome web browser. In 2020, the company announced that it intends to abandon third-party cookies in Chrome for two years. Google confirmed this plan earlier this year. Cookies allow websites to track users online and show them more personalized advertising.
