According to reports, Google announced today that it will keep a tracking technology that advertisers rely on Android phones for at least two years. That has largely eased concerns in the industry after Apple restricted a similar tool to the ad industry’s dismay.
Google said it will send “substantial notice” to the industry before removing what it calls “AdId”, a tracking technology used for ads. That said, Google will immediately begin soliciting feedback on its alternatives. Google says the alternatives are designed to better protect user privacy and curb covert surveillance.
Last year, Apple tweaked its iOS privacy policy to limit a similar ad-tracking technology. Under a new privacy policy in iOS 14.5, Apple forced all apps to ask users if they would like to be tracked for advertising purposes.
The privacy policy has significant implications for advertisers, app developers and hundreds of small ad tech companies. Facebook parent Meta Platforms said earlier this month that it expects to lose $10 billion in ad sales this year as a result of Apple’s change. At the same time, people also realize that Google may soon follow (Apple).
Over the past few years, Google and Apple have faced pressure from regulators and new laws to give users greater control over the data their apps collect.
Two years ago, Google announced that it would be phasing out support for third-party cookies (ad-tracking technology) in its Chrome browser, citing higher demands on users’ privacy and data control rights.
Subsequently, publishers and ad tech companies have complained that Google’s new technology will limit their ability to collect user information, thereby affecting the ability to serve more valuable ads.
Last week, Britain’s antitrust regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), said Google had made a legal commitment to it, allaying concerns. To this end, the CMA has accepted Google’s Cookie Obsolescence Program.