{"id":639497,"date":"2024-09-25T14:09:28","date_gmt":"2024-09-25T11:09:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/googles-revised-ad-targeting-plan-triggers-fresh-competition-concerns-in-uk\/"},"modified":"2024-09-25T14:09:28","modified_gmt":"2024-09-25T11:09:28","slug":"googles-revised-ad-targeting-plan-triggers-fresh-competition-concerns-in-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/googles-revised-ad-targeting-plan-triggers-fresh-competition-concerns-in-uk\/","title":{"rendered":"#Google&#8217;s revised ad targeting plan triggers fresh competition concerns in UK"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2fcfe934f3d\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2fcfe934f3d\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/googles-revised-ad-targeting-plan-triggers-fresh-competition-concerns-in-uk\/#Ad_targeting_Who_gets_to_choose\" >Ad targeting: Who gets to choose?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<p id=\"speakable-summary\" class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What is going on with Google\u2019s long-touted migration to an alternative adtech stack (aka its Privacy Sandbox proposal)? What indeed. The entire multi-year endeavour to reshape the commercial web looks dangerously close to being killed off after the latest intervention by the U.K.\u2019s antitrust regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This comes on top of the u-turn that Google made around third-party tracking cookies. Originally they were going to be depreciated; as of July, cookies look like they are here to stay. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The CMA has been probing Google\u2019s Privacy Sandbox plan since January 2021, following a November 2020 complaint by a coalition of digital marketing companies \u2014 which is one reason the project has been so tortuously slow. But slow is starting to look like a flat out \u2018no\u2019 from the U.K. regulator.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/cma-cases\/investigation-into-googles-privacy-sandbox-browser-changes\">case update<\/a> Tuesday, the CMA\u2019s tossed yet another spanner in Google\u2019s works, writing that it has \u201ccompetition concerns\u201d about its most recent revisions. Earlier commitments the tech giant had given it would also need to be updated to reflect \u201cthe evolution in Google\u2019s planned Privacy Sandbox browser changes\u201d, it said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meaning \u2014 at the very least \u2014 further delays to a project that\u2019s already years over its original schedule. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The CMA said it\u2019s discussing changes with Google, and Google would be required to address its competition concerns \u2014 but it has yet to specifying exactly which elements of the revised proposal are not yet meeting the mark. But one thing is clear: Google\u2019s proposed shift to a user-choice architecture is on ice while the regulator weighs impacts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf the CMA is not able to agree changes to the commitments with Google which address the competition concerns, then the CMA will consider what further action may be necessary,\u201d the regulator also wrote, again without stipulating what options might be on the table at that point (note: Google already agreed not to end support for tracking cookies without the CMA\u2019s agreement), adding that it will \u201cpublicly consult before taking any decision on whether to accept changes to the commitments, and is aiming to do this in Q4 2024\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The regulator plans to provide an update on what it couches as its \u201cviews relating to the Privacy Sandbox tools and its assessment of testing and trialling results\u201d in the last quarter of the year. So that tinkling noise you can hear is the sound of a very battered can being kicked down the road yet again.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ad-targeting-who-gets-to-choose\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Ad_targeting_Who_gets_to_choose\"><\/span>Ad targeting: Who gets to choose?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This latest CMA intervention pertains to a revised <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roach Google announced this summer when the tech giant suggested it might <em>not<\/em> to kill off third party tracking cookies after all. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead, Google suggested it could provide users of its dominant Chrome browser with a choice over whether they want to see ads based on third party surveillance of their web activity (i.e. tracking cookies); or opt for ads targeted using Privacy Sandbox, Google\u2019s alternative tech for personalized ad targeting, which does not rely on cookies to track and profile users.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The implication of Google\u2019s offer was also that its proposed choice architecture for Chrome could let users opt out of tracking-based <em>or<\/em> personalized ads entirely \u2014 i.e. by offering a free choice to say no to any such tracking (and, presumably, be served contextual ads instead). Which would be great <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> for people\u2019s privacy. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the digital marketing companies that have set their sights on derailing Chrome\u2019s deprecation of tracking cookies aren\u2019t likely to be fans of letting web users get that much agency over online ads.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The CMA\u2019s assessment of Privacy Sandbox is also obviously being conducted through a pure-play competition lens \u2014 so its jobs is to pay close attention to such complaints. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The competition regulator declined to respond to questions about its approach. But we understand the CMA is concerned Google\u2019s revised plan to present users with a choice could lead to a significant reduction in availability of third party cookies for ad targeting \u2014 leading to an increased reliance on alternatives like Google\u2019s Privacy Sandbox tools. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the concern is that Google could use the Privacy Sandbox project to further entrench its dominance in the adtech stack \u2014 including as a result of giving web users more agency to protect their privacy from advertisers \u2014 then that\u2019s a competition-shaped problem. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On privacy, the CMA has previously said it\u2019s working with the UK\u2019s Information Commissioner\u2019s Office (ICO), the regulator responsible for enforcing national data protection laws, to consider relevant privacy and user choice design concerns. However, as we\u2019ve pointed out before, the ICO has a long history of under-enforcing the adtech industry \u2014 despite recognizing its lawfulness problem. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More recently, the ICO\u2019s actions in this area \u2014 going after certain types of non-compliant cookie consent pop-ups \u2014 have fuelled the rise of another problematic ad-industry dodge: Consent or pay mechanisms. This controversial approach, which is under legal challenge in the European Union, sees web users presented with a consent pop-up that gates content until they either accept tracking or else pay a subscription to access content. So it\u2019s the literal opposite of a free choice. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And what has the ICO been doing about consent or pay? It ran a consultation earlier this year but has yet to adopt a public position on the legality of the controversial business model \u2014 letting a privacy-hostile mechanism mushroom unchecked in the meanwhile. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All of which is to say that if the U.K. regulator is the best hope web users have to champion their privacy rights in a high stakes battle for the future of the commercial web \u2014 that pits Google against digital marketers plus the CMA sitting in their corner \u2014 it doesn\u2019t look like a very fair fight. It\u2019s more like competition is being allowed to dominate a hierarchy of interests.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reached for a response to the CMA\u2019s latest intervention, Google spokeswomen Jo Ogunleye said the company is engaging with regulators and believes its revised proposal supports competition. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She also emailed a statement in which the company wrote: <strong>\u201c<\/strong>We are engaging with the CMA on Privacy Sandbox following the updated approach we\u2019ve proposed, which\u00a0lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing. As we finalize this approach, we\u2019ll continue to consult with the CMA, ICO and other regulators globally and look forward to ongoing collaboration with the ecosystem to build for a private, ad-supported internet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We also sought a response from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/lukaszolejnik.com\">Lukasz Olejnik<\/a>, an independent consultant who has been tracking the Privacy Sandbox proposal from the start. \u201cKeeping third party cookies is harmful for user welfare,\u201d he warned, highlighting an apparent change of direction by the CMA. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI was extremely satisfied with how professionally the CMA approached the migration to a privacy-improved web in ways to respect competition,\u201d he also told TechCrunch. \u201cHowever, since the last few months I see a significant shift in priorities of enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speculating on what might be behind a shift, Olejnik noted there has been a change of government in the U.K. \u2014 but said it\u2019s difficult to explain why the regulator may have reconfigured its priorities in this area.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cUntil now the CMA had a full understanding that third-party cookies are problematic for privacy, data protection and trust in digital advertising sector,\u201d he said, adding: \u201cWhile I believe that a business case for Privacy Sandbox would still exist, such a stance could jeopardise the privacy qualities, and trust in businesses, of UK users.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-techcrunch wp-block-embed-techcrunch\"\/>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-techcrunch wp-block-embed-techcrunch\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2024\/09\/25\/googles-revised-ad-targeting-plan-triggers-fresh-competition-concerns-in-uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is going on with Google\u2019s long-touted migration to an alternative adtech stack (aka its Privacy Sandbox proposal)? What indeed. The entire multi-year endeavour to reshape the commercial web looks dangerously close to being killed off after the latest intervention by the U.K.\u2019s antitrust regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). This comes on top&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":639500,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/GettyImages-1071785306.jpg?resize=1200,812","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[15047,151537,4966],"class_list":["post-639497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-privacy","tag-government-policy","tag-united-kingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=639497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639497\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/639500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=639497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=639497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=639497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}