Google has announced new measures that will limit tracking on its Android operating system, following a similar move by Apple to introduce restrictions on how the online advertising industry can target users. .
The changes, which won’t be implemented for at least two years, aim to curb the sharing of user data with third parties, by limiting ad tracking for users who move between different apps on billions of devices running Android.
Google said it plans to phase out advertising identifiers, a code that allows marketers to track individual user behavior, in favor of alternatives that protect user data while supporting advertising efforts.
Apple introduced privacy measures last year, allowing users to completely disable tracking on iPhones in a move that rocked the $400 billion digital advertising industry. Meta, Facebook’s parent company, says Apple’s changes resulted in about $10 billion in lost revenue.
Apple and Google, two of the world’s biggest smartphone makers, are responding to growing privacy fears to give users greater control over their data. But while Apple derives the majority of its revenue from the sale of devices such as the iPhone, Google generates more through digital advertising.
Google has distanced itself from Apple’s strict measures, but its plan still marks a significant shift in how advertisers can operate on Android. “The goal is to develop effective solutions that do not require device-level identifiers and limit user-level tracking across developer apps,” the company said.
He intended to consult with the companies on the new measures and give them time to implement them, going after rivals “unceremoniously restricting existing technologies used by developers and advertisers”.
Android users could already opt out of sharing their credentials, in changes announced last June, but Google plans to replace them entirely over time.
The Privacy Sandbox initiative was launched for web users of Google products in 2019 with the aim of limiting third-party cookies online. Potential solutions that exist in Privacy Sandbox collect user data in broad interest groups, rather than revealing information at the individual level.
Google is testing initial proposals to bring the Privacy Sandbox project to Android over the next few months, but the current system will remain in place for at least the next two years.
The company is in talks with developers about new designs and how to improve user privacy without compromising advertisers’ ability to monetize through personalized campaigns. It is already working with Activision Blizzard, DoorDash, Duolingo and Snap to develop the plans.
Google added that it had pledged not to give preferential treatment to its own products or advertising sites and had shared proposals with all Android developers. Over 90% of apps on the Google Play Store are free and often depend on advertising to support their business.
