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Google Considering 'Less Stringent' Version of Apple's App Tracking Transparency Feature for Android

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Starting with iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, and tvOS 14.5, all of which are currently in beta testing, Apple will be requiring developers to receive a user's consent to track their activity across other apps and websites and/or access their device's random advertising identifier. Users will be presented with a prompt with options to "Allow Tracking" or "Ask App not to Track" when opening apps that wish to track their activity.

app-tracking-transparency-prompt-ios-14.jpg

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Nico Grant, Google is exploring a similar measure for Android, but in a "less stringent" way. The report claims that the proposed solution could end up being similar to Google's planned Chrome web browser changes:
To keep advertisers happy while improving privacy, the discussions around Google’s Android solution indicate that it could be similar to its planned Chrome web browser changes, the people said. The company said in 2020 that it intended to phase out third-party cookies in Chrome within two years. Google reaffirmed that plan earlier this year. Cookies are a way for websites to track users around the web to serve them more personalized ads.
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"We're always looking for ways to work with developers to raise the bar on privacy while enabling a healthy, ad-supported app ecosystem," a Google spokesman said in a statement issued in response to the report.

Google has a web-based solution known as the Privacy Sandbox that allows advertisers to target groups of people with similar interests, rather than individuals, and the report claims that Google will likely to take a similar approach with Android.

Article Link: Google Considering 'Less Stringent' Version of Apple's App Tracking Transparency Feature for Android
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2021/02/04/google-app-tracking-transparency-plans/
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MacRumors said:
"We're always looking for ways to work with developers to raise the bar on privacy while enabling a healthy, ad-supported app ecosystem,"
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Translation: "We're always looking for ways to appear to raise the bar on privacy without really raising the bar on privacy because that would interfere with our healthy, ad-supported business model."
 
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Reactions: Tech for Kings, Hammerd, tambovskya and 22 others
RIP 100% FREE Ad-based Apps

Most could be gone from both App Stores by this time next year !

It will give rise to Engineering Accomplishment-based Apps !
 
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Reactions: planteater
Overwhelming people with ads, targeted or not, leads some folks (me, for instance) to block them all (thank you Brave!). Advertisers also fail to understand that some people aren't hyper-consumers and are *never* going to click on that ad anyway (me again). On the rare occasion that there's something I'm in need of, I do my own research to determine what to buy and where to buy it. If you're throwing ads in my face, I'll consciously discount your product/service on the spot. With the Web being what it is, put your $$ into your product, not ads, and let word-of-mouth on the 'net do the rest.
 
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Google, wow, about getting on the ball with Apple's privacy requirements and getting your apps updated?? After continuous improvement and updates most of last year, we are going on two months without any updates.
 
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luvbug said:
Overwhelming people with ads, targeted or not, leads some folks (me, for instance) to block them all (thank you Brave!). Advertisers also fail to understand that some people aren't hyper-consumers and are *never* going to click on that ad anyway (me again). On the rare occasion that there's something I'm in need of, I do my own research to determine what to buy and where to buy it. If you're throwing ads in my face, I'll consciously discount your product/service on the spot. With the Web being what it is, put your $$ into your product, not ads, and let word-of-mouth on the 'net do the rest.
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Which I don't understand... I'm the exact same way, and everybody you talk to would likely answer the same way. And yet it's still an incredibly lucrative business, evidently.
 
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Well, when you own the damn system that collects all your searches through out the entire universe, of course you'll be less stringent?

"Google (the maker of the OS you're using) would like to track you everywhere you go. Is that OK?
Yes / No (clicking No will end up bricking your phone, until you submit to YES)"
 
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To keep advertisers happy while improving privacy, the discussions around Google’s Android solution indicate that it could be similar to its planned Chrome web browser changes, the people said. The company said in 2020 that it intended to phase out third-party cookies in Chrome within two years. Google reaffirmed that plan earlier this year. Cookies are a way for websites to track users around the web to serve them more personalized ads.
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Safari and Firefox have private modes where you can disable 3rd party trackers easily. Incorporating similar functionality into their Android Chrome cloud based browser over 2 years is stalling.
 
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Can a add based app ask for my preferences ? Like without the need to track me to find out.
 
luvbug said:
Overwhelming people with ads, targeted or not, leads some folks (me, for instance) to block them all (thank you Brave!). Advertisers also fail to understand that some people aren't hyper-consumers and are *never* going to click on that ad anyway (me again). On the rare occasion that there's something I'm in need of, I do my own research to determine what to buy and where to buy it. If you're throwing ads in my face, I'll consciously discount your product/service on the spot. With the Web being what it is, put your $$ into your product, not ads, and let word-of-mouth on the 'net do the rest.
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I’m the same way, I would never give them the benefit of clicking on an ad, but if there is something I’m thinking about buying, and an ad shows up with a product that is what I’m in the market for, I will add that to my “research” list. And if it’s the best version of what I need, I’ll buy it. And that’s what the ad is for really. To let you know a product exists. What I can’t stand is movie trailers playing, I never watch a preview to a movie I want to watch, and sometimes I’m halfway through the preview before I realize what I’m watching. I wish movie trailers would start with the title of the movie. So I can turn away.
 
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Since no one has said it yet: Google can shove it on this.

This consideration or even beta testing is totally not convincing when they literally stopped pushing updates on iOS just to avoid the privacy label and prompt :rolleyes:
 
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ddtmm said:
Is it just me, or does "Ask App not to track" sound a lot less reassuring than "Prevent App from tracking"? Is this going to be as lame as the "Do Not Track" flag already in browsers (that every website ignores)?
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I have always read this as apps don't need to actually follow the do not track. I mean it's just a request from the user right?
 
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