After Apple, it’s Google’s turn to deploy several features to protect the privacy of its users.
After Apple, which had made privacy one of its priorities by deploying iOS 14.5, it’s Google’s turn to get involved in this field. The American company has announced that it will soon bring privacy changes to Android. These should be similar to those of the competition, without being too “disturbing”, promises GAFAM.
Google wants to bet on transparency…
As with Apple, the new features that will soon be implemented on Android will thus aim to limit data sharing with third-party applications. In particular, they will make it easier to block access requests, but also to offer the user a more global view of the authorizations granted. According to an article from New York Times, Google has not yet established a precise deployment schedule or even formalized the features that will be added in the coming months. The company nevertheless addressed a small tackle to Apple, explaining that its objective was to protect the privacy of its users, while allowing developers to earn money through advertising.
Less intrusive than at Apple, the new features of Android should be inspired by those already implemented on Chrome. With its Sandbox project, the company would thus be able to limit the tracking of advertising identifiers. A decision that could make advertisers lose big, but also Facebook. At the beginning of last year, when Apple made similar decisions, Mark Zuckerberg’s firm was very critical. A year later, it predicts more than $10 billion in shortfall for this year.
…but don’t let advertisers down
However, Google should adopt a very different position from Apple on the subject. While Apple realizes most of its income from the sale of its own products and services, Mountain View relies instead on advertising and advertisers. No question therefore of doing without it, it will have to be done with it.
