merelygifted:

The system Google planned to replace cookies is now itself being replaced with a slightly different idea

Google’s “indecision” over what system it wants to replace cookies has been criticised by some in the ad industry.

It comes as the technology giant said an interest-based user-tracking system, Topics, would now replace its earlier proposal, Floc.

One marketing executive said: “This constant indecision does not inspire confidence.”

Third-party cookies use people’s browsing history to target ads that then follow them from site to site.

Privacy advocates and regulators have increasingly fought against them.

And Google has agreed to restrict their number on websites accessed via its Chrome browser, which commands about 65% of market share.

It had originally planned to block them from this year but postponed the move until 2023.

‘Half-baked idea’

Floc (Federated Learning of Cohorts) aimed to disguise users’ individual identities by assigning them to a group, or flock, with similar browsing histories.

But the idea was unpopular with both privacy advocates and advertisers

Farhad Divecha, founder of digital marketing agency AccuraCast said it “didn’t make sense to most advertisers, who aren’t technical data analysts”.

“The system was met with a lot of criticism when Google launched it,” he said, “and it largely felt like a half-baked idea Google prematurely pushed out the door in response to changes in advertising and privacy.”

“The past year has made it fairly clear that Google still aren’t really sure of the best way forward.“  …