Submitted 1 year ago by L4s@lemmy.world [bot] to technology@lemmy.world
https://www.theregister.com/2023/11/11/google_proxy_plan_cma/
Google dragged to UK watchdog over Chrome’s upcoming IP address cloaking::Marketers tell antitrust cops privacy proxy will make it harder to protect kids online, etc etc
First time hearing of that ‘micro tor’ google thing. Why are they even doing this? It is so weird for them to do this. There has to be some kind of catch to it right?
Non-browser ad blockers like the Pi-Hole block requests to known servers that serve ads. Routing all web traffic through Google’s VPN disables this way of adblocking and only leaves in-browser solutions like u-block. And Google’s fight against those within Chrome is ongoing.
Beyond the ad block killing implications, this would also allow google to collect more data about chrome user web traffic, while even more significantly it allows them to obsfucate this data from their competition.
Have fun analyzing user data when google gets the real feed of it and you get whatever they choose to let you see. There’s nothing preventing them from messing with more than just the outgoing IP.
Google gets to pretend they care about user privacy when they’re really just trying to hinder the competition.
Wanna bet it has something to do with shoving more ads into our eyeballs? No, no, let me rephrase that: wanna bet it has everything to do with shoving more ads into our eyeballs?
They explain this in in an episode of Graham Cluley‘s excellent podcast „Smashing Security“. I think in the episode from October 26th.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
IP Protection, previously referred to as “ip-blindness” or “Gnatcatcher,” is a proxy system similar to Apple’s Privacy Relay.
MOW objects to this project as a violation of Google’s commitments to the CMA, a set of promises the ad biz made to the UK competition watchdog to win approval for its plan to replace third-party cookies with Privacy Sandbox technologies.
“Google’s IP Protection means ISPs will no longer have visibility of data via an IP address whist leaving Google with the ability to monitor and process data at all times,” says a letter from MOW’s London-based legal representative Preiskel & Co LLP to the CMA and to UK telecom regulator Ofcom, which was provided to The Register.
For example, one pseudonymous individual who claims to help advertising clients optimize Google AdWords campaigns says that IP addresses play a critical role in fraud prevention.
“This is a blatant and egregious breach of the commitments made by Google to the CMA to prevent it acting in an anti-competitive fashion,” said Tim Cowen, co-founder of MOW, in a statement provided to The Register.
MOW’s letter to the CMA cites specific objections as to why IP Protection contravenes Google’s promises to the agency.
The original article contains 796 words, the summary contains 198 words. Saved 75%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
Is it just a mini VPN of encrypted DNS?
Lojcs@lemm.ee 1 year ago
Wait, I must twist this in a way people will care
Although I’m not a huge fan of compulsory VPN for everyone. A future where only a small amount of people have direct connections from their homes sounds bleak.