Google's New Ad Targeting Will Be Blocked by DuckDuckGo's Chrome Extension

DuckDuckGo, a privacy-focused browser, has updated its Chrome plugin to disable two new ad targeting mechanisms included in Google’s Privacy Sandbox. DuckDuckGo notified users in a blog post that they may prevent Google Topics and FLEDGE from using its plugin, or simply disable Chrome’s “Privacy Sandbox” setting. Regulators and privacy campaigners have questioned Google’s Privacy Sandbox program, which is an alternate means of tracking and targeting consumers for online advertisements that Google claims are more privacy-focused. DuckDuckGo has joined the chorus of critics of Google’s new ad technology, which is now being tested on a small number of customers.

“While some suggest that Topics is a less invasive way of ad targeting, we don’t agree. Why not? Fundamentally it’s because, by default, Google Chrome will still be automatically surveilling your online activity and sharing information about you with advertisers and other parties so they can behaviorally target you without your consent,” stated DuckDuckGo’s product director Peter Dolanjski in the post.

Google’s FLEDGE (First Locally Executed Decision over Groups Experiment), a new type of ad re-targeting, was also mentioned (otherwise known as those obnoxious ads that follow users wherever they go on the web). Unlike previous systems, Google states that FLEDGE enables re-marketing without the usage of a personal identifier for users. FLEDGE will also be natively integrated into Google’s Chrome browser, as opposed to typical ad retargeting via third-party cookies.

“When you visit a website where the advertiser may want to later follow you with an ad, the advertiser can tell your Chrome browser to put you into an interest group. Then, when you visit another website that displays ads, your Chrome browser will run an ad auction based on your interest groups and target specific ads at you. So much for your browser working for you!,” Dolanjski wrote.

While this may be simply empty talk, Google has stated that it welcomes feedback from privacy groups and regulators as it continues to test Privacy Sandbox. Privacy Sandbox received hesitant clearance from the UK’s competition authority early this year. Google has taken longer than anticipated to phase out third-party cookies. Google’s Privacy Sandbox schedule is constantly revised, and the present estimate is that it will phase out third-party cookies over three months in late 2023.