Google announced earlier this year that it will join other web browser providers to ban third-party cookies in Chrome, and today developers get their first opportunity to test the new solution to monitoring users around the web: confidence tokens.
Like cookies, trust tokens are programmed to authenticate a user without the need to learn their name. Trust tokens will not be able to trace visitors through websites, since they are technically all the same, but they might also help websites confirm to marketers that real people — not bots — visit the platform or click on an ad. (An explanation on GitHub indicates, however, that websites may issue multiple types of trust tokens.)
Google has been a bit sluggish in implementing a third-party cookie monitoring system that everyone appears to hate; Chrome and Firefox are both banning it by default, but Chrome is more militant about it. Yet Michael Schulman, Google's Vice President for Privacy and Security Advertising, clarified in a blog post that the company already plans to phase out third-party cookies in Chrome as well.
In fact, Google is making a few changes to the "Why this ad" button that lets you see if those advertisements are tailored to you.
The new mark "about this ad" will also now include the checked identity of the advertiser so that you can see which advertisers are advertising you and making it easier to users how Google gathers personal data for advertisements. The new brands will continue rolling out by the end of the year.
The company has revealed an update of the Chrome platform, now in development, entitled Advertising Transparency Spotlight, which will include detailed reports about all advertising they encounter on the internet. Users should be able of view specifics on advertisements on the internet, see which advertising are displayed on the internet, and a list of other businesses and services with a presence on the page, such as website analytics or storytelling.
