Google Plans to Limit Ad tracking on its Android Operating System

Recently, the search engine giant Google announced that it plans to limit ad tracking on its Android operating system, addressing a sensitive privacy issue that Apple has previously addressed on its iPhones. Tech companies are under more pressure from users and regulators to balance privacy and ad-targeting,  but they also want to keep the data that helps them make billions from ads.

Apple’s and Google’s operating systems are installed on the majority of the world’s smartphones, so any policy changes might affect billions of people.

Google Plans to Limit Ad tracking on its Android Operating System

In a statement, Google said,

Our goal… is to develop effective and privacy enhancing advertising solutions, where users know their information is protected, and developers and businesses have the tools to succeed on mobile.

On the other hand, Apple, stated last year that users of its one billion iPhones can choose whether or not to enable their internet activity to be recorded for ad targeting purposes. Apple said that the change demonstrates its commitment to privacy, but critics pointed out that it does not prevent the firm from tracking its users.

Apple’s move has caused a stir in the internet world, with Facebook parent Meta estimating that the restriction will cost the company $10 billion in revenue this year. Less data will have a significant impact on the precision of the ads Meta and other companies can offer, and consequently their pricing. When asked about the timing of the changes, Google said,

We expect to sustain existing ads platform capabilities for at least two years, and we intend to provide considerable notice ahead of any future changes.

Currently, the internet search giant provides an identity to Android-powered devices, allowing advertisers to build a profile of people’s habits and deliver them advertisements that they might be interested in. Google said it is working on measures to further safeguard users’ privacy, including “limiting user data sharing with third parties and operating without cross-app identifiers, such as advertising ID.”

“We recognize that some platforms have taken a different approach to advertisements privacy, openly prohibiting existing technology used by developers and advertisers,” it said, contrasting its plans with Apple’s.

While Google claims that the modifications will protect users’ privacy, they may also boost the internet giant’s already dominant position in the digital advertising market.

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