Today, Google launched an “origin trial” of Federated Learning of Cohorts (aka FLoC), its experimental new technology for targeting ads. A switch has silently been flipped in millions of instances of

Hopefully nobody here is still using chrome on personal machines, but good to know

Google’s launch of this trial—without notice to the individuals who will be part of the test, much less their consent—is a concrete breach of user trust in service of a technology that should not exist.

  • blank_sl8@lemmy.ml
    7·
    4 years ago

    Why can’t Google just ask you what you’re interested in and serve ads related to that? I’d be fine filling out a browser setting indicating that I’m interested mainly in computers and electronics gear and then get ads only for that.

    • ufra@lemmy.mlOP
      4·
      4 years ago

      Perhaps advertisers pay a premium on an idea that these trackers and analytics know users better than users know themselves…