Google to limit tracking in Android apps, starting next year
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Google has announced that it will bring its Privacy Sandbox into beta for Android 13 systems from early 2023, which will include limitations on apps’ ability to track user data (opens in new tab) for advertising purposes.
The sandbox attempts to preserve user data available to advertisers while respecting individual privacy (opens in new tab). Perhaps Google will finally pull a leaf out of Apple’s book and take note of consumer demand for it (opens in new tab).
Google has been in development since February this year, working with app developers and marketing specialists on the Privacy Sandbox and is now ready to begin implementation.
New APIs
As is typical with Android software updates, the Sandbox will first be available for a limited number of devices before rolling out to the wider Android market.
App developers can access preview builds to test the latest features and provide feedback. A closed beta for the SDK runtime will also be available, which will prevent apps from using code related to advertising, so no marketing data for apps will be available.
Currently Android apps (opens in new tab) use secret tracking methods. However, with the new Privacy Sandbox, different APIs will replace that.
For example, the Attribution Reporting API eliminates third-party user IDs by using obfuscation techniques and limiting the amount of data available for reports.
Another is the Topics API, which allows personalized interest-based advertising to function without tracking multiple apps used by individuals.
There’s also the Fledge API, which limits the sharing of identifiers and app usage information when advertisers try to remarket to those who have shown a potential interest in their products, such as when they leave an item in their shopping cart.
These APIs are set to replace advertising IDs, which uniquely identify individual users and have long been a staple of Android devices.
However, the Privacy Sandbox has already experienced some backlash. Two privacy-focused internet companies, DuckDuckGo and Brave, have expressed reservations about Google’s plans.
The former believes these new APIs will still track user data (opens in new tab)only indirectly, and the latter thinks the plans will actually “damage web privacy and further strengthen Google’s control over the web.”
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