What is Google FLoC? Google’s new ad tracking plans explained

Google is a huge chunk of internet traffic, be it searching, advertising, or even browsing with Google Chrome. So if there is a move by Google related to internet traffic, everyone will be aware of it. The newest one seems to be Google FLoC, which stands for Federated Learning of Cohorts. It’s a series of technologies that Google is introducing to make up for the lack of third-party cookies that are about to be retired.

At first glance, FLoC seems harmless, or even a better alternative, if you believe Google. However, it has received a lot of negative attention since Google first announced it. Several well-known companies have even announced that they will oppose Google FLoC and block it. Of course, the question arises: what is Google FLoC and why should you care? Let’s break it down for you.

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Why did Google create FLoC?

To understand what Google FLoC is, it is important to understand what Google FLoC is. Web browsers use cookies as identifiers for users, which is fine for first-party cookies. Websites use first party cookies for important purposes, such as: B. to remember a returning user with their credentials. These are used by the website that the user is explicitly visiting and are therefore difficult to exploit.

However, the problem lies with third-party cookies. Third-party cookies are provided by websites other than the website the user is visiting. These are basically trackers that allow you to monitor your activity on the web and serve relevant ads on the websites you visit. Third party cookies have always been criticized and many other browsers have already disabled them. Mozilla, for example, started blocking third-party cookies by default in 2019. Google Chrome was the biggest problem as blocking third-party cookies could potentially put Google’s advertising business at risk.

This is exactly why Google came up with an alternative before it announced its plan to expire third-party cookies. That alternative is Federated Learning of Cohorts, i.e. Google FLoC, and it will be the new default for Google Chrome users.

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What is Google FLoC?

As with every new big change in consumer technology these days, the official portrayal is that Google FLoC is the “privacy first” solution. Instead of tracking you individually like third-party cookies, FLoC creates cohorts – a group of users. According to Google, these cohorts are large enough to make you appear anonymous to advertisers. It is also said to be small enough to help advertisers serve ads that are targeted well enough.

Google says FLoC will hide people by camouflaging them among large groups of users with similar interests. Depending on your cohort, you will then receive targeted ads as a group. Your browser handles the cohort assignment locally. Each FLoC receives an ID.

According to Google, this will improve user privacy on an individual level. Ad conversions per dollar with this replacement will account for at least 95% of the numbers generated by cookie-based advertising. For marketing delivery purposes, Google Chrome has a privacy sandbox. It’s an open source collaboration with technologies to help marketers make this transition.

Neither Google nor any third party have access to your browsing history. Your browser only gives your cohort identification number to the websites and not to third party trackers that follow you all over the internet. Google promises to democratize FLoC and give equal access to the entire ad ecosystem. Finally, Google promises to make sure the cohorts are the right size and to rule out the use of sensitive topics as categorizing factors.

Essentially, Google tries to keep it working the same way, promising you privacy to make sure you’re on board. However, if you know the motivations and history of Google, and want to keep all of its privacy promises, then you need to break the disbelief.

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The flak for FLoC

Google started testing FLoC after an announcement in March 2021. However, several big names in the web industry have made it very clear that they oppose Google’s cookie replacement. To kick off, DuckDuckGo, the privacy-focused search company, condemned FLoC by announcing a Chrome extension that will block it. After that, Brave Browser did the same, as did Vivaldi and Firefox. Github and WordPress have also announced that they will not support FLoC.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has also called Google FLoC a “terrible idea”. Microsoft Edge, Safari and Opera also seem to be on the Anti-FLoC team. Even if you admit that alternatives to third-party cookies are required. Simply put, Google is currently alone in implementing FLoC with Google Chrome.

There are some issues with the FLoC implementation. First, it can potentially make fingerprinting easier for predators. Fingerprint is a type of tracking that uses multiple identifiers that your browser loses. Then they are put together to create a profile of the user. FLoC could simplify fingerprinting by giving malicious parties even broader access to such identifiers. With your FLoC-ID they get a lot of information about you. Then it’s only a matter of time before they isolate you based on the differences between your browser and others.

Another problem is that sharing cohort data with advertisers may reveal more information about you than it did before. For example, if you’ve signed in to a site, Sites can associate your FLoC ID with your email address. From there, it won’t be difficult for trackers to reverse engineer the cohort assignment to get more and more specific data about you.

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Should you block Google FLoC?

Google can portray FLoC as a savior, but all it is is a way to keep track of users. There’s a reason the industry has refused third-party cookies. Google FLoC will keep pretty much all of the pitfalls of cookies and a few more. So the question is, should you block Google FLoC?

Unless you’re a huge fan of personalized ads enough to compromise your confidential information, step away from FLoC. There aren’t any downsides other than that you’ll likely have to switch from Google Chrome. Currently, Google is testing FLoC with a small percentage of users. Test regions include Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, and the United States. You can check if you are part of this test by visiting Am I FLoCed. from the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Fortunately, almost all other browsers, including Chromium-based browsers like Microsoft Edge, are against FLoC. This means that it should be easy to find a browser to switch to. However, the future of FLoC is uncertain. There is a great chance that Google will go ahead with this despite the opposition. It might finally be time to skip the Chrome ship and protect your privacy … and some RAM.

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