DuckDuckGo promises to block Google’s latest ad-tracking tech — if Google allows it
Google is just starting to test its replacement for third-party cookies, but DuckDuckGo is already announcing that it wants to block that tech with its Chrome extension. Google’s FLoC, or Federated Learning of Cohorts, technology is designed to be a more privacy-centered way to track users and serve ads to them, but some privacy advocates, like the Electronic Frontier Foundation, have claimed that it could be harmful to consumers.
We have a great explainer on what FLoC is for those who want to go in-depth, but the overview is that the tech works to sort users into groups based on their behavior. Advertisers can then target those groups instead of individual people. Privacy advocates argue that, while it’s better than the third-party...