Google launches new system Topics again to solve the "user privacy" problem

Author | Li Yangxia ‍ ‍ ‍

Google on Tuesday released a new technology called Topics, which aims to balance online advertising with protecting user privacy. Google plans to start testing this approach in the coming weeks to replace third-party trackers (Cookies) in the Chrome browser.

Meanwhile, Topics comes as Google faces increasing scrutiny over alleged privacy issues. On Monday, several states sued Google over the way it handles user location data.

On one hand, there is pressure from regulators, and on the other hand, there is pressure from competition in the digital advertising market. Can Topics really help Google get out of its current predicament?

It is understood that "Topics" will use the built-in software of the Chrome browser to monitor browsing behavior and will be combined into a list based on the five topics that the user has been interested in in the past week, such as cars, fitness, travel, animation and news.

Ben Galbraith, senior director of product management on the Chrome team, said: "Three themes are offered every time people visit the site, and these three themes are a record of what has been generated over the past three weeks.

Google intends to position Topics as a replacement for cookies.

As we know, cookies are small text files used by websites that can track you when you visit different websites, thereby building a behavioral profile and providing targeted advertising. Cookies can be set by the website you visit, or by third-party companies, such as advertisers and social media companies, which can use this information for their own advertising. Google had planned to block third-party cookies in the Chrome browser, but last year postponed the plan until 2023.

Google believes that Topics is easier to understand and control than cookies. It allows users to see the topics that Google shares with website publishers, delete topics that they don't want to share, and turn off the system completely.

In 2019, Google said it would abolish third-party trackers in the Chrome browser through the Privacy Sandbox program. This move is also part of its Privacy Sandbox, which aims to help Google catch up with the privacy protection level of other browsers without affecting its advertising business.

It is worth mentioning that earlier this year, Google launched FLoC (Federated Learning of Cohorts) to replace Cookies but failed. FLoC helps companies locate users and serve advertisements by bringing together large groups of people with similar interests. At the same time, this method can effectively hide individuals in the "crowd" and protect user privacy.

However, there is a drawback, that is, assigning users to a group of people with similar interests can track people's data, and the more groups there are, the clearer the user's identity will be. Therefore, it has been severely criticized by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Mozilla and other privacy advocates.

Rival browsers such as Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox and Brave Software are gradually phasing out tracking features and enhanced advertising.

In addition, Google will begin testing "Topics" by the end of March this year and plans to eliminate cookies by the end of next year. Google is currently collecting feedback from users of the "Topics" website.

Google, which generated 79% of its $65 billion in revenue in its most recent quarter from online advertising, believes targeted advertising is essential to a healthy web. "We believe that users need to continue to have access to free content online for the web to continue to thrive, and that in turn requires relevant advertising," Galbraith said.

Google is facing constant privacy complaints. Will the new system really be accepted by the public? It depends on the feedback from users in the next few months.