Google on Wednesday said it will not build "alternate identifiers" to track individuals as they browse across the web nor will use them in its products once third-party cookies are phased out, as the tech giant progresses towards a more "privacy-first web".
In January last year, Google had announced that it will phase out use of third-party cookies- in Chrome within two years.
Google cited study by Pew Research Center that 72% of People feel that almost all of what they do online is being tracked by advertisers, technology firms or other companies, and 81% say that the potential risks they face because of data collection outweigh the benefits.
Tracking users’ web activity is no longer necessary to achieve results with digital advertising, Google says:
“People shouldn’t have to accept being tracked across the web in order to get the benefits of relevant advertising. And advertisers don’t need to track individual consumers across the web to get the performance benefits of digital advertising.”
The company added that it has been working with the broader industry on the 'Privacy Sandbox' to build innovations that protect anonymity, while still delivering results for advertisers and publishers.
Replacing individual identifiers with a solution that achieves results for advertisers is now possible thanks to advances in aggregation, anonymization, and on-device processing.
Google released details earlier about a cookie replacement mechanism called FLoC that will be tested with advertisers in Google Ads next quarter. FLoC-based cohorts will also be available for public testing in Chrome with its next release this month.
"This points to a future where there is no need to sacrifice relevant advertising and monetization in order to deliver a private and secure experience....We remain committed to preserving a vibrant and open ecosystem where people can access a broad range of ad-supported content with confidence that their privacy and choices are respected," it said.
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