Google’s Privacy Sandbox Accused of User Tracking by Austrian Non-Profit

Google's Privacy Sandbox Accused of User Tracking by Austrian Non-Profit

June 14, 2024 at 10:18AM

Google’s deprecation of third-party tracking cookies has faced opposition from Austrian privacy non-profit noyb, which claims that the proposed Privacy Sandbox can still be used for tracking. Noyb criticized Google’s ad privacy feature, alleging it tricks users into consenting to first-party ad tracking. The dispute highlights privacy concerns and ongoing regulatory issues surrounding online tracking technologies.

From the meeting notes provided, the key takeaways are:

1. Google is facing fresh trouble from Austrian privacy non-profit noyb, which alleges that its Privacy Sandbox feature can still be used to track users, despite being advertised as an improvement over invasive third-party tracking.

2. Noyb has filed a complaint with the Austrian data protection authority, accusing Google of using dark patterns to increase consent rates and misleadingly passing off ad tracking as a privacy feature.

3. Privacy Sandbox, a set of proposals by Google to block covert tracking techniques, has encountered delays as the company works to address concerns and feedback from regulators and developers.

4. Noyb has a history of filing complaints against big tech companies for privacy infringements, including ChatGPT maker OpenAI and Meta (previously Facebook).

5. Other big tech companies, including Meta, have also faced criticism for their data usage practices in Europe, with noyb being vocal about their alleged GDPR violations.

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