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DuckDuckGo Extension to Block FLoC, Google’s New Tracking Method in Chrome

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Re: DuckDuckGo Extension to Block FLoC, Google’s New Tracking Method in Chrome

#121

Post by ArneBab »

discordianfish wrote: post #83
manuelflara wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll leave this quote from the EFF article on FloC[1] > Google’s pitch to privacy advocates is that a world with FLoC (and other elements of the “privacy sandbox”) will be better than the world we have today, where data brokers and ad-tech giants track and profile with impunity. But that framing is based on a false premise that we have to choose between “old tracking” and “new tracking.” It’s not either-or. Instead o…

This isn't a false premise. Either you get the ad supported industry behind some solution or whatever privacy respecting solution will be incompatible with these sites.

Or the ad supported industry finds ways to be supported without ads. That would be the ideal outcome. It would align them with the needs of their customers.

Re: DuckDuckGo Extension to Block FLoC, Google’s New Tracking Method in Chrome

#123

Post by o_m »

cmeacham98 wrote: post #118
tngranados wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you are leaving out Safari you are not testing on 95% of the browsers. At least market share wise, which is the only metric that makes sense.

You are correct, but if you don't own a Mac/iPhone, you cannot test on Safari.

You can use services like Browserstack, but they are expensive and slow.

Re: DuckDuckGo Extension to Block FLoC, Google’s New Tracking Method in Chrome

#124

Post by monsieurbanana »

cmeacham98 wrote: post #118
tngranados wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you are leaving out Safari you are not testing on 95% of the browsers. At least market share wise, which is the only metric that makes sense.

You are correct, but if you don't own a Mac/iPhone, you cannot test on Safari.

There's workarounds, such as browserstack.

Re: DuckDuckGo Extension to Block FLoC, Google’s New Tracking Method in Chrome

#125

Post by matheusmoreira »

quantumwoke wrote: post #87

I hate Google Chrome with a passion after years of anti-consumer and anti-privacy tactics and now exclusively use and recommend the Brave browser [0]. [0] https://brave.com/

Yeah, looks like a straight upgrade from Google Chrome. It's got a built-in ad blocker even on mobile. There's a built-in ads platform which actually pays people for their attention and can be turned off.

All it needs to compete with Firefox is browser extensions on mobile.

Re: DuckDuckGo Extension to Block FLoC, Google’s New Tracking Method in Chrome

#126

Post by creata »

jnxx wrote: post #103
halflings wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Chrome is entirely removing third-party cookies by 2022. https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/14/21064698/google-third-par...

That's very generous. However, with the plethora of browser fingerprinting techniques, cookies today have become almost irrelevant: https://coveryourtracks.eff.org/ https://scrapebot.com/browser-fingerprinting-techniques/

Regardless of how simple fingerprinting is, I'm pretty sure that cookies are still the main way in which advertisers track users. Why make their job cheaper than it has to be?

Re: DuckDuckGo Extension to Block FLoC, Google’s New Tracking Method in Chrome

#127

Post by ronjouch »

ArneBab wrote: post #58
1vuio0pswjnm7 wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Under terms of an agreement, FF sends search bar queries to a "search engine that makes money from selling ads." The search engine belongs to an online ad services company. FF belongs to Mozilla Corporation. The agreement is between the ad services company and Mozilla Corporation. Mozilla Corporation pays the salaries of the developers who maintain FF. Almost all of Mozilla Corporation's income, certainly 100% of the…

They try to get away from that model, though. Not very successfully (how to get people to pay for a browser?), but they try.

> "They try to get away from that model, though. Not very successfully [...], but they try."

Honest question: do they? What evidence supports the assertion that they do try? I haven't seen any story suggesting Mozilla is trying to get away from that model of funding Firefox.

> "(how to get people to pay for a browser?)"

The Thunderbird email client (formerly maintained by Mozilla) switched to being independent from Mozilla and asking for donations; so far they are successful. Donations are now sustaining a team of 15, thanks to yearly 2.3 M$ donations [1], and they keep hiring.

"A team of 15 isn't remotely enough to sustain Firefox", you may say, and you'd be right. But then, if Thunderbird is able to find enough donation money for 15, what would Firefox (who is way more popular than Thunderbird) be able to score if it found the courage to make its case to its users, and ask for money? Could it afford a staff of 150? More?

[1] https://groups.google.com/g/tb-planning/c/-jbmYvYdX1g , https://www.reddit.com/r/opensource/comments/m9td33/thunderb...

Re: DuckDuckGo Extension to Block FLoC, Google’s New Tracking Method in Chrome

#128

Post by dandellion »

zenincognito wrote: post #2

No thank you. I appreciate what DDG is trying to do but in the end, a search engine that makes money from selling ads trying to protect me from another search engine that also sells ads is just feeding the ecosystem. I am going to put my money into FF no matter how annoying some of the things in it are.

I wish there was a way to donate directly to Firefox. Unfortunately, the only option is to donate to Mozilla and they will likely use the money to fund their other initiatives and continue to neglect Firefox.

Re: DuckDuckGo Extension to Block FLoC, Google’s New Tracking Method in Chrome

#130

Post by foxhop »

Communitivity wrote: post #101

I use Firefox. So does my family. Everything I make for personal use works in Firefox and I don't bother testing with anything else. However, almost every web site or web app I make in my professional capacity gets tested with, and is expected to work with, ~95% of browsers. That means testing against Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, UC Browser, Samsung Internet, and Internet Explorer. Edit: I forgot to add Safari, whic…

I believe tracking people is unethical and I believe Googles FLoC is unethical because it sole purpose is for tracking.

Browser Cookies are inherently more ethical when used properly.

More of my public thoughts here:

https://www.remarkbox.com/remarkbox-is-now-pay-what-you-can....

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