Google proposes a new tracking superpower in Chrome

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion

Google might not be completely ready to give up website cookies just yet, but the company is certainly investigating alternatives like a user-tracking ad platform built into one of the most popular web browsers available.

Google logo
Google logo



For the most part, Google has at least put up a little bit of an effort to reduce the amount of tracking it does, like the Privacy Sandbox for Chrome. Technically, Google is still working towards phasing out third-party cookies. Until then, though, the company is also working on alternatives -- for more tracking.

Apple has its suite of features built into its software platforms to limit device and user tracking. That includes the likes of Privacy Report in Safari, which automatically limits web tracking.

Google is currently proposing what it calls the "Web Environment Integrity API," which is a new web standard that's pretty similar to something like Digital Rights Management, or DRM. It's meant to identify the user at the computer, all to reduce the usage of bots accessing sites like social media or to stop people from cheating in online games.

The new API proposal is published on GitHub, by one of the four Google employees who authored it, but it is already prototyped within Chrome. No wide launch has been announced or even hinted at yet.

First picked up by HackerNews over the weekend, Ars Technica notes that Google's proposal is one that's entirely encompassed by Google services, like Chrome and Google search. And, unsurprisingly, it's a similar standard that's already present in not just Android, but also iOS.

Android has something it calls "Play Integrity API," and it's designed to identify Android devices that have been rooted. A lot of web developers are not a fan of having their apps accessed on rooted devices, no matter the reason why that device was rooted.

As a result of the API, many apps won't function if they are downloaded on a rooted device, including Netflix, and even Google's own Wallet app. And this new web standard for Chrome would work similarly.

Apple's equivalent to the Play Integrity API is called App Attest, which checks for valid app clients.

Chrome could get more privacy intrusive in the future
Chrome could get more privacy intrusive in the future



Google's Web Environment Integrity API would require that the user pass an "environment attestation" test before that user could access any data on a website. Accessing an attestation server, the user would get the question, prove they aren't a robot, and then be given a token to access the site they are trying to reach.

This is where Google's umbrella comes in, with Chrome serving as the gateway to this particular API, one of the world's most popular web browsers. Then it's a safe bet that Google is in some way related to the website getting delivered to the user, and Google may even be associated with the attestation server.

In an available explainer, Google does say it's not trying to single out individual Chrome users, or digitally fingerprint them. However, it adds that there should be "some indicator enabling rate limiting against a physical device."

Commenters have been leaving issue reports on the proposal since its discovery. "Issue #134" calls out the idea as being "absolutely unethical and against the open web," for instance. There are even a few comments posted purely in hexadecimal, which get colorful.

For now, Chrome remains a viable option as an alternative to Apple's Safari. However, if privacy from ad tracking is a priority, Chrome may be a less useful tool in the future if its foundation is built on fingerprinting users.

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13
    danoxdanox Posts: 3,318member
    Chrome as a browser is no option, thanks, but no thanks, the EU, however, can have it. Note Apple is slowly grinding, Android (Samsung and Google Pixel) to pieces in the United States. 

    India has jumped ahead of Germany and France, in terms of iPhone sales, Apple won’t be the dominant smartphone (they don’t need to be) in India but they will be the most profitable by far they only need 10% to 15% of the market.

    https://www.fool.com/investing/2023/07/20/better-buy-apple-stock-vs-microsoft-stock/

    edited July 2023 StrangeDayswilliamlondonbaconstangAlex1Nwatto_cobrabyronljony0
  • Reply 2 of 13
    mayflymayfly Posts: 385member
    Dear Google,

    Thank you so much for supercharging your mining of my data to provide me with more targeted advertising to improve my online experience.

    Insincerely,
    Sayid No'one Evar
    JaiOh81FileMakerFellerbaconstangAlex1Nauxiojbdragonbyronljony0
  • Reply 3 of 13
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 13,075member
    here’s the thing with Google and tracking…

    “It Is Difficult to Get a Man to Understand Something When His Salary Depends Upon His Not Understanding It”
    FileMakerFellerAlex1Nmayflymuthuk_vanalingamwatto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 4 of 13
    baconstangbaconstang Posts: 1,146member
    What's "Chrome"?
    Alex1Nwatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 13
    22july201322july2013 Posts: 3,713member
    Where are all the anti-Apple people today? Why aren't they here to complain about Google Chrome? I'm speaking of all the people who say, "It's my phone and I should be able to do/run whatever I want with it!" You can blame Google that some web apps like Netflix won't run on iOS using Chrome if you've rooted your iPhone for any reason. "Google has a monopoly on all web apps running in Chrome! We must stop it!"

    Personally, I'm not sure if I care. No intelligent person would use Chrome on any Apple device. Give the Darwin award to people who do.
    danoxwatto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 6 of 13
    auxioauxio Posts: 2,756member
    here’s the thing with Google and tracking…

    “It Is Difficult to Get a Man to Understand Something When His Salary Depends Upon His Not Understanding It”
    Their whole business model is built upon it, so they understand it very, very well. They're just willing to bet that most people are happy to trade every piece of information about themselves to save a couple bucks/get something for free. Either that or they don't pay attention at all (more often the case).

    edited July 2023 danoxbaconstangFileMakerFellerwatto_cobrabyronl
  • Reply 7 of 13
    jbdragonjbdragon Posts: 2,312member
    I really just need to stop using Chrome!!!  They are turning into what Microsoft was doing with IE back in the day.  Being EVIL!!!!!  I may go and start using Edge on my Windows computers.  Maybe Firefox.  Not sure yet.  I really need to get away from Google.  They are getting more and more evil.  
    baconstangwatto_cobrabyronl
  • Reply 8 of 13
    williamlondonwilliamlondon Posts: 1,419member
    auxio said:
    here’s the thing with Google and tracking…

    “It Is Difficult to Get a Man to Understand Something When His Salary Depends Upon His Not Understanding It”
    ...most people are happy to trade every piece of information about themselves to save a couple bucks/get something for free. Either that or they don't pay attention at all (more often the case).

    I agree people are like that, I just think "how pathetic" to allow oneself (one's privacy, even worse) to be used for the profit of another. The irony is that they aren't saving any money, it's just that the manipulators are crafty about how they extract money from their wallets by slight of hand movements, completely without their understanding. These companies aren't altruistic, they get their money back and then some, and if someone were treating me like that I'd feel awfully used and pathetic. Wake up sheeple, that closet full of tat, shit and crap didn't buy itself.
    auxiowatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 13
    auxioauxio Posts: 2,756member
    williamlondon said:
    auxio said:
    here’s the thing with Google and tracking…

    “It Is Difficult to Get a Man to Understand Something When His Salary Depends Upon His Not Understanding It”
    ...most people are happy to trade every piece of information about themselves to save a couple bucks/get something for free. Either that or they don't pay attention at all (more often the case).

    I agree people are like that, I just think "how pathetic" to allow oneself (one's privacy, even worse) to be used for the profit of another. The irony is that they aren't saving any money, it's just that the manipulators are crafty about how they extract money from their wallets by sleight of hand movements, completely without their understanding. These companies aren't altruistic, they get their money back and then some, and if someone were treating me like that I'd feel awfully used and pathetic. Wake up sheeple, that closet full of tat, shit and crap didn't buy itself.
    What's funny is that many of these same people will complain like mad on the internet if the government tries to implement any similar type of monitoring (e.g. to track the spread of viruses like COVID). Yet they're quite happy to sell their souls to almighty corporations who have zero transparency in what they do with this information (e.g. Cambridge Analytica). It's almost as if they enjoy being manipulated and exploited by others for profit and power.
    FileMakerFellerwatto_cobrawilliamlondon
  • Reply 10 of 13
    ihatescreennamesihatescreennames Posts: 1,963member
    auxio said:
    williamlondon said:
    auxio said:
    here’s the thing with Google and tracking…

    “It Is Difficult to Get a Man to Understand Something When His Salary Depends Upon His Not Understanding It”
    ...most people are happy to trade every piece of information about themselves to save a couple bucks/get something for free. Either that or they don't pay attention at all (more often the case).

    I agree people are like that, I just think "how pathetic" to allow oneself (one's privacy, even worse) to be used for the profit of another. The irony is that they aren't saving any money, it's just that the manipulators are crafty about how they extract money from their wallets by sleight of hand movements, completely without their understanding. These companies aren't altruistic, they get their money back and then some, and if someone were treating me like that I'd feel awfully used and pathetic. Wake up sheeple, that closet full of tat, shit and crap didn't buy itself.
    What's funny is that many of these same people will complain like mad on the internet if the government tries to implement any similar type of monitoring (e.g. to track the spread of viruses like COVID). Yet they're quite happy to sell their souls to almighty corporations who have zero transparency in what they do with this information (e.g. Cambridge Analytica). It's almost as if they enjoy being manipulated and exploited by others for profit and power.
    A friend of mine is absolutely perplexed at why people DON’T want to be tracked. The one example that he always uses is that he loves it when he’s in an unfamiliar city and google will suggest a place nearby that he may enjoy eating at. At the same time he gets paranoid that his phone is listening to him because it will show ads for things he thinks he was recently talking to someone about. Then he shrugs, makes no changes to his behavior and loves the invasive tracking.
    watto_cobrawilliamlondonbyronl
  • Reply 11 of 13
    22july201322july2013 Posts: 3,713member
    auxio said:
    auxio said:
    here’s the thing with Google and tracking…

    “It Is Difficult to Get a Man to Understand Something When His Salary Depends Upon His Not Understanding It”
    ...most people are happy to trade every piece of information about themselves to save a couple bucks/get something for free. Either that or they don't pay attention at all (more often the case).

    I agree people are like that, I just think "how pathetic" to allow oneself (one's privacy, even worse) to be used for the profit of another. The irony is that they aren't saving any money, it's just that the manipulators are crafty about how they extract money from their wallets by sleight of hand movements, completely without their understanding. These companies aren't altruistic, they get their money back and then some, and if someone were treating me like that I'd feel awfully used and pathetic. Wake up sheeple, that closet full of tat, shit and crap didn't buy itself.
    What's funny is that many of these same people will complain like mad on the internet if the government tries to implement any similar type of monitoring (e.g. to track the spread of viruses like COVID). Yet they're quite happy to sell their souls to almighty corporations who have zero transparency in what they do with this information (e.g. Cambridge Analytica). It's almost as if they enjoy being manipulated and exploited by others for profit and power.
    A friend of mine is absolutely perplexed at why people DON’T want to be tracked. The one example that he always uses is that he loves it when he’s in an unfamiliar city and google will suggest a place nearby that he may enjoy eating at. At the same time he gets paranoid that his phone is listening to him because it will show ads for things he thinks he was recently talking to someone about. Then he shrugs, makes no changes to his behavior and loves the invasive tracking.
    You should tell your friend about the company that gives you $1/day to attach a small computer around your ankle that uses your WIFI and listens to what you're watching on TV, and what you are doing in your home. It's free money. And they can't see what you're doing in your home, they can only hear it.

    If they don't believe there is such a company, (there was when I googled it exactly 5 years ago) you can then offer your friend $1/day to attach a similar "bug" to their body so that you can hear what they are doing in the privacy of their own home all day long. Maybe there's an existing app for Apple Watch that sends an audio recording of everything it hears to your computer. Loan them an Apple Watch with that software installed and pay them $1/day to have this audio bug attached to them all day (and night) long. Then after a month tell them what you learned about them.
    edited July 2023
  • Reply 12 of 13
    micromaniacmicromaniac Posts: 1member
    I think it's kind of wild that this article (and this comment section) criticizes Chrome for the Web Environment Integrity API but praises Safari when a functionally identical feature has already been shipped.

    https://httptoolkit.com/blog/apple-private-access-tokens-attestation/

    I don't think the proposal of attestation is a good idea but it's dishonest to say Safari is going to be the solution when it already has this feature. Using something like Firefox might be a better idea.

    Also, I'm not sure how the WEI API would permit additional cross site tracking either.
    edited July 2023 gatorguywilliamlondon
  • Reply 13 of 13
    22july201322july2013 Posts: 3,713member
    micromaniac said:
    I think it's kind of wild that this article (and this comment section) criticizes Chrome for the Web Environment Integrity API but praises Safari when a functionally identical feature has already been shipped.

    https://httptoolkit.com/blog/apple-private-access-tokens-attestation/

    I don't think the proposal of attestation is a good idea but it's dishonest to say Safari is going to be the solution when it already has this feature. Using something like Firefox might be a better idea.

    Also, I'm not sure how the WEI API would permit additional cross site tracking either.
    Wow, that's a pretty insightful comment from a person with only one post here. But as the article states, the Apple implementation isn't much of a problem since Safari is only about 20% of web traffic while Chrome is at 60% and web clients that use Chromium is at 70%. I'm going to bookmark that page and read it once per week until I understand it better. Thanks.
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