Google has announced the start of a multi-year process of fixing ad tracking on Android phones, moving the mobile platform down a path similar to the one that Apple charted in blocking iOS tracking last year.
Currently, each Android device is assigned a unique identifier known as the Advertising ID, which is used to create an Android user account that developers can use to target in-app ads.
But when the new changes are implemented, the ad identifier is gradually being phased out in favor of alternative targeting mechanisms that Google says are better suited to user privacy.
“We are announcing a multi-year initiative to build privacy protection across Android with the goal of delivering new, more personalized advertising solutions,” the company wrote.
These solutions limit sharing of user data with third parties and operate without identifiers across applications. Including advertising identifier. We are also exploring technologies that reduce the possibility of confidential data collection. Including safer ways to integrate with apps with ad SDKs.
Google began adding privacy measures around the advertising identifier last year. Changes were introduced that allow users to remove the unique identifier from the system simply by choosing Do Not Track.
But the latest steps suggest that in the coming years developers will have to use a completely different system to take advantage of data about user preferences.
Google said it was working with developers to figure out the best approach. The Android Developer Information About Privacy Protection page currently lists four design proposals. Including a topic and interests-based advertising system and implementation of the FLEDGE API to allow developers to target custom audiences without having to share user data with third parties.
Although, the comparisons to Apple’s iOS tracker ban are clear. But Google’s strategy is also vastly different. It is shaped by the priorities dictated by both its business model and fears of triggering antitrust lawsuits.
Google announces Android privacy protection mode
Google’s primary source of income is its digital advertising business, which brought in $61 billion in the last quarter of 2021.
The company is currently facing an antitrust lawsuit alleging unfair practices in the way it operates digital ad auctions.
And with accusations of monopoly advertising, Google is unlikely to stop competitors’ ability to run ads on Android. To be sure, it could be exposed to more antitrust lawsuits if it did.
The fact that it owns YouTube, which operates on an ad-supported model, adds another potential problem if the company takes steps that appear to harm competition.
Google is offering the changes as a way to preserve the useful parts of digital advertising while removing some of the unhelpful elements.
The company believes that blocking ads without thoughtful planning could lead to worse privacy outcomes. This is because advertisers resort to more deceptive forms of tracking such as browser fingerprinting.
By proactively identifying safe and permitted ad formats, the company ensures strong revenue streams for developers and robust privacy for Android users.
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