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Edge vs. Chrome: Microsoft's Tracking Prevention Hits Google the Hardest

zdnet.com

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Re: Edge vs. Chrome: Microsoft's Tracking Prevention Hits Google the Hardest

#51

Post by vmurthy »

dudus wrote: post #16

I can't tell from the article. Does anyone know if Google Analytics is blocked by default? It says the default is Balanced mode and that the trackers blocked are mostly from Google. But it doesn't make it clear if Google Analytics is blocked by default. Google Analytics uses first party cookies so it usually passes by default blockers at least. If they are blocking that by default this is a massive blow. Otherwise it…

"Of that total, 552 were from Google domains. That's a mind-boggling 23.8% of the total. To put that into perspective, the second entry on the list of blocked trackers was Facebook, which represented 3.8% of the total. (It's worth noting that these results shouldn't suggest any kind of conspiracy against Google. The fact that Google is at the top of any list of online trackers is a reflection of their business model and their ubiquity. Google Analytics and Google AdSense are embedded on a staggering number of web pages.)"

It sounds like Google Analytics is blocked by default at least in the "Balanced" mode

Re: Edge vs. Chrome: Microsoft's Tracking Prevention Hits Google the Hardest

#52

Post by inetknght »

Braggadocious wrote: post #49
AA-BA-94-2A-56 wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you think they’re trying to monopolise user data to sell to advertisers?

targeting ads is only one teeny tiny use case for user data. Building general AI is a race and the more user data you have the faster your AI will learn. You definitely want to limit the amount of data your competitors have.

How users use computers has very little to do for a useful AI.

Re: Edge vs. Chrome: Microsoft's Tracking Prevention Hits Google the Hardest

#53

Post by Proven »

enitihas wrote: post #3

Tracking prevention in Edge makes sense for Microsoft, as they already have more than enough tracking in windows itself.

???

I only care whether tracking prevention in Edge makes sense for me. With Chrome on Windows I get tracked more, with Edge on Windows less. Case closed.

Re: Edge vs. Chrome: Microsoft's Tracking Prevention Hits Google the Hardest

#55

Post by swebs »

petilon wrote: post #43
matt4077 wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Is it a coincidence that this got fixed just weeks before Chromium-based Edge is due to be released? The Venn-diagram of people that care about this bug and care about the new Edge can't be much bigger than, well, you . So I'd actually go with "coincidence" here.

That's an astonishing statement. Nobody cares about having an alternate browser? Nobody cares about Chrome's abuses such as logging you into the browser when you log into Gmail? Why did Chrome add the ability to disable this feature then?

Don't try to frame the false dichotomy that the only existent browsers to choose from are either Chrome or Edge. There are many more popular browsers than Edge out there, such as Firefox, Opera, Brave, and Safari, as well as various open source forks (Palemoon, Chromium, etc.) The point of the parent comment is that to a privacy minded user, Edge would be the LAST option to consider for someone switching from Chrome, especially due to Microsoft's history of aggressive spying "analytics" as well as general anti-competitive behavior. And if you believe competition is good, why on Earth would you chose a browser that locks you in to the Windows monopoly?

Re: Edge vs. Chrome: Microsoft's Tracking Prevention Hits Google the Hardest

#56

Post by brownbat »

inetknght wrote: post #52
Braggadocious wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

targeting ads is only one teeny tiny use case for user data. Building general AI is a race and the more user data you have the faster your AI will learn. You definitely want to limit the amount of data your competitors have.

How users use computers has very little to do for a useful AI.

Or... if most knowledge work happens on a computer, and you just want the AI to replace knowledge workers, then maybe how people use computers is the only thing the AI needs to know.

Re: Edge vs. Chrome: Microsoft's Tracking Prevention Hits Google the Hardest

#57

Post by fwxwi »

asadkn wrote: post #41

Hit hard with what? The 1% marketshare it will eventually get like the previous Edge versions?

They will use the Chromium engine, so it will be fast and render pages well.

If they stick an ad blocker by default, something the Mozilla Corporation hasn't got the balls to do, they will definitely get some market share.

Re: Edge vs. Chrome: Microsoft's Tracking Prevention Hits Google the Hardest

#58

Post by petilon »

swebs wrote: post #55
petilon wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's an astonishing statement. Nobody cares about having an alternate browser? Nobody cares about Chrome's abuses such as logging you into the browser when you log into Gmail? Why did Chrome add the ability to disable this feature then?

Don't try to frame the false dichotomy that the only existent browsers to choose from are either Chrome or Edge. There are many more popular browsers than Edge out there, such as Firefox, Opera, Brave, and Safari, as well as various open source forks (Palemoon, Chromium, etc.) The point of the parent comment is that to a privacy minded user, Edge would be the LAST option to consider for someone switching from Chrome,…

Some people believe Chromium offers the best browsing experience as well as security. For those people there is now a choice.

Re: Edge vs. Chrome: Microsoft's Tracking Prevention Hits Google the Hardest

#59

Post by Infinitesimus »

inetknght wrote: post #52
Braggadocious wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

targeting ads is only one teeny tiny use case for user data. Building general AI is a race and the more user data you have the faster your AI will learn. You definitely want to limit the amount of data your competitors have.

How users use computers has very little to do for a useful AI.

Probably true for AGI but the overloaded term "AI" could be applied to learn from how people use software to _carefully_ suggest improvements.

Usage stats could help you improve a user interface, teach users new skills (eg: "you always do this, here's a shortcut to save you time"), perhaps more personalized operating system interfaces and defaults.

You probably don't need a fancy pseudo "AI" system for any of these, but that's the current gold rush so someone's gonna do it

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