Google creates new method of tracking users

Ayush Vatsa

April 8, 2021

Google has created a new tracking method called FLoC (Federated Learning of Cohorts) and has automatically turned it on for millions of Google Chrome users. It groups you based on your interests and demographics, derived from your browsing history, to enable creepy advertising and other content targeting without third-party cookies. After a short trial period, Google decided not to make this new tracking method a user choice and instead started automatically including millions in the scheme. Any website can get your FLoC ID to target you and fingerprint you. This means the websites will have a collection of data rather than just the data they need. They’ll have everything related to your FLoC ID and can also use this data to further target you. Analysts have called this an attack on privacy and some say after this, it will be like you walk in to a store and they already know what you want. You can use some methods to save yourself from this new tracker. You can stop using Chrome, install DuckDuckGo extension which prevents FLoC, stay signed out and change the settings, switch off ad personalization in Google Ad Settings. But even after all of these, it’s not sure that you will stop getting creepy ads which seem way too obvious.

Abridged fromSpreadPrivacy