[aftbit]

I know this isn't quite the right place, but can anyone point to some research or writeups on the Chrome ad topics stuff? How does that impact user privacy? What is shared with third parties? I know next to nothing about it at the moment.

[yohhaan]

Hi!

I am the main author of 2 papers evaluating the Topics API from Google: [1] and [2] and working on more research in that space.

I have also started compiling different papers and analyses on projects like the Privacy Sandbox initiative from Google (https://privacysandstorm.com/proposals/) as well as releasing other resources (datasets, tools, etc.), contributions welcome if you are interested!

Best,

Yohan (https://yohan.beugin.org/)

[1] Interest-disclosing Mechanisms for Advertising are Privacy-Exposing (not Preserving) https://petsymposium.org/popets/2024/popets-2024-0004.php

[2] A Public and Reproducible Assessment of the Topics API on Real Data - https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.19577

[afavour]

This is a great paper on how it doesn’t make reserve privacy in the way Google claims it will:

https://arxiv.org/html/2403.19577v1

[pennybanks]

so do they mention if the old system would be better in comparison? cause short of just making you pay to use the products i dont know if it can be any worse.

at the end of the day it seems like 90% of people using google products dont even care. while some even prefer the convivence of some features that directly save your info. not sure what percentage that is compared to the people that practice a lot privacy.

but shown by the chrome market share google really doesnt have to care about this section of users. the fact theyre willing to try things is a good sign imo. either way in 2024 to be complianing about google is funny to me. literally dont have to interact or use a google product, they already have your information and so does the internet better to not let them occupy any of your mind as well