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And why I'm moving away from Chrome.
I've been a Chrome user since the browser first showed up. I typically have three different browsers on the go, with different types of tab content on each. That has been:
- Chrome
- Firefox
- Brave
However, if you aren't familiar with the latest announcement, you can read more on it here:
Google Chrome users receiving "Privacy Sandbox" pop-up: How it works (newsbytesapp.com)
Basically, the goal here is for Google/Chrome to track your browsing directly, instead of allowing third-party cookies, and will then present you with ads it selects based on your browsing habits. So, instead of Tom's Hardware advertisers using cookies to track the browsing habits of your IP, including your browser type and the like (and of course your ability to block this with disabling 3rd party cookies or using UBlock and similar), you'll get ads chosen by Google based on what Chrome sees you doing. This of course is much more personal, as most people are signed into Chrome, but even if you aren't, it knows if you are signed into a mail account, what that account is, who you bank with...etc. It's a massively more "big brother" approach which is raising some red flags for people legitimately concerned about privacy.
This has created some understandable outrage in the cyber security community.
So, at this point, if you want a Chromium-based browser that is less "big brother", Edge is actually a better option, which is wild to be saying.
Of course if you aren't demanding it be Chromium-based, you can just use Firefox.
I've been a Chrome user since the browser first showed up. I typically have three different browsers on the go, with different types of tab content on each. That has been:
- Chrome
- Firefox
- Brave
However, if you aren't familiar with the latest announcement, you can read more on it here:
Google Chrome users receiving "Privacy Sandbox" pop-up: How it works (newsbytesapp.com)
Google Chrome's cookie-killing Privacy Sandbox now available for most users (mobilesyrup.com)Google has begun rolling out Privacy Sandbox, a new feature designed to replace third-party cookies, to all Chrome users.The feature tracks users' interests based on browsing habits and allows advertisers to display relevant ads.
While many browsers already offer ways to block third-party cookies and/or trackers, Google doesn’t exactly want to go that route because it makes money off of spying on users and turning that information into ads. Though it’s worth noting Chrome allows you to block third-party cookies, you just have to go digging to find the option.
Enter the Privacy Sandbox, Google’s solution that offers Chrome users more privacy while still letting advertisers bombard them with ads. It relies on Ad Topics (a.k.a. the Topics API), which uses people’s web history to sort them into categories that advertisers can use to target them with ads. Google says this happens in the Chrome browser, and neither it nor anyone else can see people’s browsing history or learn any personal details about people using the system. Instead, advertisers just see that there are people interested in a topic, and they can target those people with ads.
Alongside Privacy Sandbox, Google will also roll out a complicated tool called ‘Site Suggested Ads’ that will let websites tag users with subjects they want those people to see ads about. There’s also an ‘Ad Measurement’ tool to help companies track how well their ads perform.
Basically, the goal here is for Google/Chrome to track your browsing directly, instead of allowing third-party cookies, and will then present you with ads it selects based on your browsing habits. So, instead of Tom's Hardware advertisers using cookies to track the browsing habits of your IP, including your browser type and the like (and of course your ability to block this with disabling 3rd party cookies or using UBlock and similar), you'll get ads chosen by Google based on what Chrome sees you doing. This of course is much more personal, as most people are signed into Chrome, but even if you aren't, it knows if you are signed into a mail account, what that account is, who you bank with...etc. It's a massively more "big brother" approach which is raising some red flags for people legitimately concerned about privacy.
This has created some understandable outrage in the cyber security community.
So, at this point, if you want a Chromium-based browser that is less "big brother", Edge is actually a better option, which is wild to be saying.
Of course if you aren't demanding it be Chromium-based, you can just use Firefox.