Opposition to their third-party cookie solution was strong from the start, which eventually resulted in Google shutting down the FLoC project and replacing it with “Google Topics.” For example, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) called FLoC a “terrible idea,” while many browsers and website administrators refused to support the technology, citing privacy and security issues. Want to know more about Google FLoC and the backlash it received? Read the full article below. Google championed the introduction of FLoC as progress toward a future of internet privacy. Nevertheless, FLoC received a lot of flack from major players in the industry. Many companies that provide web browsers and browser extensions decided to opt-out of or block FLoC, citing privacy risks and security concerns. Google has since replaced the project by Google Topics, which is part of the company’s overall privacy sandbox initiative. But what was Google FLoC? How did Google FLoC work? Was it ever a viable solution to privacy-invasive third-party cookies? And why were so many parties against it? Those are the questions this article will answer.
What Was FLoC? Google FLoC Explained
Google’s original plan was to start blocking third-party cookies from its Chrome browser by January 2022. However, in a June 2021 blog post, it announced a delay. The “updated” plan, Google said, was to start gradually pulling those cookies in mid-2023 and eliminate them entirely by the end of that year. Instead of using third-party cookies and Google Analytics to track individual users, Google tested out a system that used recent browser history and machine learning to track user activity. Google began rolling out its new targeted “ad tech” solution in March 2021. Shortly after, it began testing the functionality with a limited number of Chrome users. With the eradication of third-party cookies, Google’s FLoC, a part of their larger Privacy Sandbox initiative, sought to offer advertisers and users an alternative. Google hasn’t provided many details on how the tech actually worked. However, the tech giant pushed the idea that FLoC would protect users’ individual identities by lumping them together with other users into groups, called cohorts. Each cohort was supposed to be formed by gauging the users’ recent interests through machine learning. The idea was to then assign this cohort an ID. For example, someone in Chicago who searched for vinyl records would be grouped together with thousands of other Chicagoan users who made similar searches. This group would get an ID, and then be targeted by ads from vinyl record shops in the city. Critics, however, say the implications of this solution would go much further than your local record store.
Privacy Criticisms Against FLoC
Opponents of FLoC said this idea was no different from the use of third-party cookies and was potentially even worse. After all, third-party cookies track your moves from website to website, after which you’ll see advertisements for products based on an analysis of those moves. FLoC would have simply analyzed your browsing history instead of tracking your online behavior, critics say. The end goal is the same: figuring out your behavioral patterns to serve you interest-based advertising. Not only are they further invading users’ privacy, but once Google drops third-party cookies, they’ll also tighten their grip on the online advertising industry as a whole. WordPress, one of the internet’s largest content management providers, called FLoC a security concern. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) called it a “terrible idea.” According to the EFF, FLoC could have led to discrimination and predatory targeting of consumers. Mortgage lenders could take a FLoC ID into consideration when reviewing an application. Predatory high-interest loan companies could target less financially savvy consumers, the EFF said. While invasive third-party cookies need to be eliminated to get us closer to internet privacy, Google FLoC would have only created new privacy concerns, the opposition says. We’ll dive into a couple of security issues worth noting below.
Browser fingerprinting
Browser fingerprinting is when online trackers assign you a unique profile, essentially “fingerprinting” you in order to track you across the web for advertising purposes. The more distinct your online behavior is, the easier it is to fingerprint your browser. Companies use this fingerprint to collect your interests, internet behavior, and online activity. Subsequently, it can then be used for targeted advertising or other, unspecified purposes. The EFF noted that, with Google FLoC’s cohort IDs, these online trackers would only have to sift through a few thousand profiles in a cohort to find a distinct browser. FLoC would give them a head start. Otherwise, they’d have to look through hundreds of millions of records.
Google logins on other sites
FLoC cohorts wouldn’t have been able to identify individual users. However, when you use a “log in with Google” feature on different websites and platforms, for example, trackers would likely have been able to put two-and-two together. Let’s say Google would have adopted FLoC. In that case, by logging into a website using your Google account, you would provide that website with your profile and also your FLoC behavior. Trackers and companies could match up the information to figure out your unique identity, thrashing any hopes of privacy.
Chrome Flying Solo With FLoC
The general consensus among some browser providers was that Google FLoC merely disguised itself as a privacy-friendly alternative to third-party cookies, though its solution would have been on par with their invasiveness. Many internet browser companies said that user privacy would be at risk with FLoC, and they would not approve user tracking or profiling in any form. Some of the browsers that opted out of FLoC before its cancellation include:
Vivaldi: The company announced that its browser would not be supporting FLoC, calling it a “privacy-invasive tracking technology.” Brave: This privacy-focused browser also opted out of FLoC, calling it a “step in the wrong direction.” They removed FLoC from their desktop and Android applications and disabled it on their websites. DuckDuckGo: The anonymous search engine’s browser app for mobile devices also released an extension blocking FLoC on Chrome and other browsers.
Though Safari and Firefox didn’t come out against FLoC, neither company indicated any plans to use the technology. Both initiated third-party cookie blocking in their browsers years ago. Microsoft Edge, the second most popular Chromium-based browser, was developing its own solution to third-party cookies called Parakeet. In other words, if any popular browser was going to be using Google FLoC, it would’ve been Chrome, Google’s own browser — and it would’ve been alone in that endeavor.
How to Stay Safe and Anonymous Online
While Google FLoC didn’t survive long, there are new privacy threats like it on the horizon constantly, Google Topics being just one of them. That’s why it’s vital to take extra privacy measures. One of these measures is to simply inform yourself about online privacy. A great way to do so is by reading our article on anonymous browsing. We also recommend using some tools to make you more anonymous. For instance, it’s important to choose a solid, privacy-orientated browser. We also recommend making use of some great browser extensions to further increase your privacy. Lastly, we strongly recommend using one of the most powerful privacy tools out there: a VPN. Below you’ll read a bit more about this useful privacy solution.
Become more anonymous with a VPN
A VPN hides your real IP address and creates a secure, encrypted tunnel for your traffic. This means you can browse the internet much more anonymously. Spying online parties will no longer be able to use your IP address to track your very virtual move. Provided you adopt other privacy measures as well, such as not logging into online services and blocking cookies, this will help protect your privacy from big corporations such as Google. If you’d like to try out a VPN, we recommend NordVPN. This excellent provider offers secure connections and high levels of encryption.
What Are Third-Party Cookies?
We’ve mentioned Google wants to get rid of third-party cookies. But what is a third-party cookie? Cookies are little snippets of information sent from a website. They’re stored on a user’s computer by browsers as the user navigates the internet. There are two types of cookies:
First-party cookies: Created and stored by the site a user is visiting Third-party cookies: Created and stored by other sites and companies who own some of the content on the site (think advertisements and some images)
Companies create first-party cookies to better the user’s online experience. They do this by saving browsing information. First-party cookies keep you signed in to a site, remember your online shopping cart, save items you were interested in buying, and show you other relevant content. External companies use third-party cookies to track your online activities and browsing habits. Ad tech companies and web publishers use this data to reach individuals with targeted ads. Think about that phone charger you searched for a few days ago. It’s no coincidence that the same charger has been following you around online through advertisements. Your web browser stored a third-party cookie and is using the fact you searched for a charger to send you targeted advertisements.
Final Thoughts: What’s Next?
Third-party cookies have been the backbone of online advertising and ad tech companies for years. Nevertheless, the internet is now moving toward a cookie-free solution in one way or another. Many welcome this transition with open arms. However, it’s unclear yet whether possible alternatives will really benefit our privacy. What does seem clear, at least as of now, is that Google Topics, and not Google FLoC, will spearhead this transition for Google. With Google planning to oust all cookies by mid-2023, only time will tell where we’re headed. If you’re no longer a fan of Google after the FLoC situation, you can phase out their many services. You might want to start with finding some good Google alternatives, after which you can delete your Gmail or Google account.
