Everyone’s taking potshots at Google’s dismissal of third-party cookies in favor of their own alternative to tracking user data, and Brave has been the latest of many to join the discourse.
So, cookies are going away and absolutely no one is displeased. Of the current forms of technology intent on siphoning personal user data and information (which are almost all of them), cookies are definitely the most upfront and annoying about doing so. They alert users to their presence via text-box messages that obscure the webpage, they intentionally attempt to misdirect users away from rejecting cookies by linking them away from the site at hand, and worst of all is the fact that regardless of what one rejects, some cookies are always on regardless. Is it ever specified what the consistently active cookies are stealing from users? Absolutely not, but it’s happening and you’d best be aware that it is. The worst cookie text-boxes to me are the ones that present no rejection options, but instead state that by continuing to use their associated web pages users are consenting to third-party cookie activity. First off, incredibly rude, and second off, if you’re so adamant on stealing user data regardless of what we do about it, just remove the stupid obstructive textbox. Genuinely, cookies are the worst thing on the internet since advertisements are becoming widespread across social media. And we haven’t even gotten to them, essentially stealing user information in the form of location data and browser history.
Of course, replacing one major privacy roadblock with another isn’t the solution either and Google either doesn’t seem to be grasping that or, much more likely, doesn’t care. I mean, this is one of the biggest tech companies in the world we’re talking about: what’re we going to do, stop using Search? With such heavy influence in both the browser and search engine marketplace, it’s nearly impossible to escape the influence that Google carries in the world. Therefore, the introduction of Google Topics in lieu of cookies is one that no one should have been surprised by. Even Topics itself is a substitute, swapping out the initial FLoC approach from the company that got immense backlash from the general populace and governmental authority figures alike. Topics essentially groups websites in units of 300 topics, and when a user interacts with any of them, their ID is attached to that unit. This way, the only information being shared is personal interest.
Peter Snyder of the privacy-first browser Brave has still taken issue with the concept of Topics, stating that no matter what the community asks for, Google refuses to stop taking personal user information. While Topics seems harmless at first glance, it can easily be used to keep a track of an individual’s complete browser history.
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So, cookies are going away and absolutely no one is displeased. Of the current forms of technology intent on siphoning personal user data and information (which are almost all of them), cookies are definitely the most upfront and annoying about doing so. They alert users to their presence via text-box messages that obscure the webpage, they intentionally attempt to misdirect users away from rejecting cookies by linking them away from the site at hand, and worst of all is the fact that regardless of what one rejects, some cookies are always on regardless. Is it ever specified what the consistently active cookies are stealing from users? Absolutely not, but it’s happening and you’d best be aware that it is. The worst cookie text-boxes to me are the ones that present no rejection options, but instead state that by continuing to use their associated web pages users are consenting to third-party cookie activity. First off, incredibly rude, and second off, if you’re so adamant on stealing user data regardless of what we do about it, just remove the stupid obstructive textbox. Genuinely, cookies are the worst thing on the internet since advertisements are becoming widespread across social media. And we haven’t even gotten to them, essentially stealing user information in the form of location data and browser history.
Of course, replacing one major privacy roadblock with another isn’t the solution either and Google either doesn’t seem to be grasping that or, much more likely, doesn’t care. I mean, this is one of the biggest tech companies in the world we’re talking about: what’re we going to do, stop using Search? With such heavy influence in both the browser and search engine marketplace, it’s nearly impossible to escape the influence that Google carries in the world. Therefore, the introduction of Google Topics in lieu of cookies is one that no one should have been surprised by. Even Topics itself is a substitute, swapping out the initial FLoC approach from the company that got immense backlash from the general populace and governmental authority figures alike. Topics essentially groups websites in units of 300 topics, and when a user interacts with any of them, their ID is attached to that unit. This way, the only information being shared is personal interest.
Peter Snyder of the privacy-first browser Brave has still taken issue with the concept of Topics, stating that no matter what the community asks for, Google refuses to stop taking personal user information. While Topics seems harmless at first glance, it can easily be used to keep a track of an individual’s complete browser history.
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Read next: Google Is Adamantly Refusing To Be Fully Transparent About Its SEO Requirements For Websites, And A Lot Of Pro SEOs Agree With The Idea