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Google is Exploring an Alternative to Cookies for Ad Tracking

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Re: Google is Exploring an Alternative to Cookies for Ad Tracking

#61

Post by simgidacav »

ams6110 wrote: post #51
oellegaard wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just switched today. After installing the omnibar extension and removing the ugly bar in the bottom, if feels just as comfortable as Chrome.

I use Chrome for google apps because it works better. I use Firefox for everything else.

...and besides this allows you to surf without google registering every fart of yours. Good idea.

Uh, also I suggest to everyone the "self-destructing cookies" extension. I think it's the best cookie solution so far: basically it deletes the cookies after a certain "grace period" unless they are into your white list. This means that (1) your session is forced to last only for slightly more than the time you are on the website (2) you don't stand out as tinfoil-hat (https://panopticlick.eff.org/)

Re: Google is Exploring an Alternative to Cookies for Ad Tracking

#62

Post by Groxx »

oellegaard wrote: post #20
fear91 wrote: post #3

I've used chrome because it was faster than Firefox ( and didn't crash so often ). I've switched to Firefox a few weeks ago and couldn't be happier. It seems that all the stability issues were resolved. I urge everyone to do the same.

I just switched today. After installing the omnibar extension and removing the ugly bar in the bottom, if feels just as comfortable as Chrome.

fwiw the address bar does most of what Chrome's omnibar does, out of the box. It's just a bit hidden because they include the search field by default.

Re: Google is Exploring an Alternative to Cookies for Ad Tracking

#63

Post by mistercow »

Microsoft or Apple could get away with this, since their browsers are bundled. Google could get away with it on Android.

But on the desktop? Nope. In a world where most users don't know the difference between a search engine and a web browser, Chrome's success relies on the tech savvy (through first person usage and recommendations to friends).

Add this "feature", and roughly 100% of that marketing force gets redirected back to Firefox.

Re: Google is Exploring an Alternative to Cookies for Ad Tracking

#64

Post by mistercow »

alecsmart1 wrote: post #21
mrweasel wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're most likely right, in that most people don't care about being tracked, but Google still isn't solving the basic problem, they are just working around the cookie restrictions. The focus should be on making a profit, while respecting peoples privacy.

I honestly don't mind being tracked. I don't know if it's just me but I prefer targeted advertising than just generic one. It's always more relevant and I do end up purchasing. Without tracking, there would be no targeted advertising.

There are ways to do targeted advertising without tracking. For example, you could identify clusters and then have users' browsers do the lifting to determine what cluster they belong in.

Re: Google is Exploring an Alternative to Cookies for Ad Tracking

#65

Post by bsullivan01 »

bowlofpetunias wrote: post #12

Wow. "Don't be evil" is really dead and buried isn't it?

Duh, it stopped when organic growth stopped. But we were stupid to have believed it in the first place.

Now they are desperate: ads everywhere, penalties everywhere (makes you advertise to replace lost traffic) and so on. They still make north of 95% of their income on ads with all their supposed innovation. I don't trust them at all. On anything. I wonder what Google Search "Quality" has in store for 2013th fourth quarter.

Re: Google is Exploring an Alternative to Cookies for Ad Tracking

#66

Post by sspiff »

foobarqux wrote: post #56
ma2rten wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How exactly is this more evil than a tracking cookie? To me it sounds pretty much the same.

They can't be deleted or blocked. They are not confined to one device.

After reading the article, I fail to see how these are not confined to one device. basically, the article suggests that they'll add a random unique ID to the browsers' identification (I assume they're talking about the user agent). How would this spread across devices?

Re: Google is Exploring an Alternative to Cookies for Ad Tracking

#67

Post by TheLegace »

mrweasel wrote: post #34
alecsmart1 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I honestly don't mind being tracked. I don't know if it's just me but I prefer targeted advertising than just generic one. It's always more relevant and I do end up purchasing. Without tracking, there would be no targeted advertising.

You're assuming that advertising is the correct or only business strategy. I wouldn't mind getting tracked, if I felt that I could trust the companies collecting data about me, or perhaps just get access to it. Honestly I don't see the value of tracking though. I tried running my browser without Ghostery recently. The "tracked" ads are generally pretty poorly targeted. I got a lot of ads for TransIP after browsing th…

I know the suggestion for Katy Perry on Netflix was dead on. The irony is that there is nothing more that I hate than Katy Perry.

Re: Google is Exploring an Alternative to Cookies for Ad Tracking

#68

Post by bsullivan01 »

eps wrote: post #15

I bet that this is a preventive PR diversion for something else. Google is anything but stupid. Given current post-Snowden climate they surely realize that something as obnoxiuos as built-in browser tracking is going to raise a storm of discontent. But they have decided to realize this information anyway. So they let this stew a little and suggest some alternative, probably as nasty, but it will look mild in comparis…

I may be wrong but isn't this very limited unless other major browsers adopt it?

I hope Mozilla doesn't cave to their corporate sponsor, and MS will not do just to hurt Google.

Re: Google is Exploring an Alternative to Cookies for Ad Tracking

#69

Post by pimeys »

TsiCClawOfLight wrote: post #57
pimeys wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been using Firefox as my main browser for a couple of years now. It's really getting better in every build. And Vimperator is not available for Chrome. Nowadays my biggest reason to stay with Firefox is that I trust Mozilla more than I trust Google.

I switched from FF when it was sluggish. Funny, the reason I don't switch back is the opposite of yours: I don't want to miss Vimium... how does Vimperator compare to Vimium?

Much more features. If I try to use Vimium, it feels like Sublime's vim mode compared to the Emacs' evil-mode...

Re: Google is Exploring an Alternative to Cookies for Ad Tracking

#70

Post by achille »

I thought this was well known, the "cookie" is known as RLZ

> http://blog.chromium.org/2010/06/in-open-for-rlz.html

RLZ gives us the ability to accurately measure the success of marketing promotions and distribution partnerships in order to meet our contractual and financial obligations. It assigns non-unique, non-personally identifiable promotion tracking labels to client products

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