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Ad tech firms test ways to connect Google’s FLoC to other data

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Re: Ad tech firms test ways to connect Google’s FLoC to other data

#21

Post by simias »

FranchuFranchu wrote: post #10

> Nonetheless, the ad industry — which co-opted foundational internet technologies like the cookie and the IP address into means of identifying people online How can you have an Internet without using IP addresses? Do you just use Onion routing all the time?

VPNs (aka proxies) can also help. I think most ISPs (at least where I live) also use dynamic IPs which reduces the utility if IP for tracking somewhat.

I think cookie + browser fingerprinting is a much better way to track people in this situation, because it removes the uncertainty associated with dynamic IPs and multiple users behind a NAT.

Re: Ad tech firms test ways to connect Google’s FLoC to other data

#22

Post by [deleted] »

Ensorceled wrote: post #12
FranchuFranchu wrote: post #10

> Nonetheless, the ad industry — which co-opted foundational internet technologies like the cookie and the IP address into means of identifying people online How can you have an Internet without using IP addresses? Do you just use Onion routing all the time?

You can't. That's why IP addresses are a "foundational internet technology".

[deleted]

Re: Ad tech firms test ways to connect Google’s FLoC to other data

#23

Post by smichel17 »

simias wrote: post #21
FranchuFranchu wrote: post #10

> Nonetheless, the ad industry — which co-opted foundational internet technologies like the cookie and the IP address into means of identifying people online How can you have an Internet without using IP addresses? Do you just use Onion routing all the time?

VPNs (aka proxies) can also help. I think most ISPs (at least where I live) also use dynamic IPs which reduces the utility if IP for tracking somewhat. I think cookie + browser fingerprinting is a much better way to track people in this situation, because it removes the uncertainty associated with dynamic IPs and multiple users behind a NAT.

My home has a nominally dynamic ip (from Comcast), but I've only ever seen it change when the modem gets power cycled

Re: Ad tech firms test ways to connect Google’s FLoC to other data

#25

Post by NilsIRL »

samizdis wrote: post #8

The EFF launched its site Am I FLoCed? [1] on April 9 for Chrome browser users to check whether they've been recruited/co-opted into Google's FLoC testing programme, started in March. Not sure how it works, but the EFF doesn't seem totally confident that it can detect those affected: "This page will try to detect whether you've been made a guinea pig in Google's ad-tech experiment." [1] https://amifloced.org/

FLoC has a well defined API like (all) standards: https://wicg.github.io/floc/

There's no reason why the website would not be reliable at detecting whether FLoC is enabled on your browser.

You can also used https://floc.glitch.me/ which was linked in one of the blog posts from google.

Re: Ad tech firms test ways to connect Google’s FLoC to other data

#26

Post by tgragnato »

eli wrote: post #16
FranchuFranchu wrote: post #10

> Nonetheless, the ad industry — which co-opted foundational internet technologies like the cookie and the IP address into means of identifying people online How can you have an Internet without using IP addresses? Do you just use Onion routing all the time?

Isn’t using Onion routing pretty much what Apple is proposing?

There are big differences.

Private relay is secure as long as Apple and the third party do not cooperate, but end to end flow correlation is much easier because streams are not isolated.

Onion routing is much more sophisticated than private relay: even end to end correlation is more difficult because of how virtual circuits are made.

Re: Ad tech firms test ways to connect Google’s FLoC to other data

#28

Post by simias »

smichel17 wrote: post #23
simias wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

VPNs (aka proxies) can also help. I think most ISPs (at least where I live) also use dynamic IPs which reduces the utility if IP for tracking somewhat. I think cookie + browser fingerprinting is a much better way to track people in this situation, because it removes the uncertainty associated with dynamic IPs and multiple users behind a NAT.

My home has a nominally dynamic ip (from Comcast), but I've only ever seen it change when the modem gets power cycled

Yeah I think different ISPs have different policies when it comes to that, I think Orange in France would cycle the address every couple of days regardless of power cycling, but here in Portugal it seems that my Vodafone public IP hasn't changed in months.

Re: Ad tech firms test ways to connect Google’s FLoC to other data

#29

Post by mavhc »

wccrawford wrote: post #3
mavhc wrote: post #2

The article says they "could" do it, not that they are. "New thing not perfect!"

No, the article says they are doing it. > As privacy and data ethics advocates warned, companies are starting to combine FLoC IDs with existing identifiable profile information, linking unique insights about people’s digital travels to what they already know about them, even before third-party cookie tracking could have revealed it. and > Advertising companies are already strategically gathering FLoC IDs and linking…

"starting to" "in an attempt to"

I see the submitted title has been altered anyway.

Re: Ad tech firms test ways to connect Google’s FLoC to other data

#30

Post by EMM_386 »

gerbler wrote: post #18

> However, it is likely that the same FLoC IDs or range of IDs will be associated with someone. This seems all quite speculative. In the first paragraph they describe FLoc IDs as changing constantly - why would they assume new IDs are not being generated, and groups are not constantly being mixed?

Further down it quotes ...

> “If your behavior doesn’t change, the algorithm will keep assigning you in that same cohort, so some users will have a persistent FLoC ID associated with them — or could."

When combined with other information that is already being used (such as canvas fingerprinting and other techniques), this looks like it can help narrow it down even further.

> “We can use that as another signal to create a stable identifier for them.”

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