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Google Chrome pushes browser history-based ad targeting • The Register (www.theregister.com)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

39 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Topics essentially works like this: rather than using cookies to track people around the web and figure out their interests from the sites they visit and the apps they use, websites can ask Chrome directly, via its Topics JavaScript API, what sort of things the user is interested in, and then display ads based on that. Chrome picks these topics of interest from studying the user's browser history.

Isn't this completely immoral? They are literally stealing the users private browsing history and uses it to boost their own profits.

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[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

They're not stealing browser history. The site requests a list of topics and Chrome parses them based on the local history and returns a list of topics.

It's more secure and private than third party cookies.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

The way I see it, that's just browser history exfiltration with extra steps. Whether they're sending the actual history or parsing your history and sending topics, both are equally as objectionable to me as both could reveal information about something private you've been visiting.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

The technique they use does not really change to the issue.

It's also not necessarily more secure than third party cookies like you claim? You can refuse those cookies and not all website use them, while all website ends up in browsing history.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I might be wrong but as far as I understand Google's topics API only gives websites access to information like "here is a user who likes the topics IT and gardening", which is a LOT less than what is possible with cookies. With cookies a website can get information like "here is a user who visited your website yesterday and two times last week. Also they recently visited websites A, B and C, and frequently visits website D. On website D they are logged in as X." They make all your visits to a website and, with third-party cookies, also to other websites connectable. Google's topics do not.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

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[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

But the website doesn't end up with your browsing history...

And you can opt out of this just like you can opt out of third party cookies.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I would like to watch you opt out of all this every single time you sit down in the next class of your education institute or workplace.