New method in targeted ads: Google monitors your browser history!

If you recently opened Google Chrome and received a popup mentioning targeted ads and clicked the “I got it” button, you’ve selected a new setting that shares your browsing history with advertisers to serve targeted ads. Fortunately, it is possible to disable this feature from the settings menu.

New method in targeted ads: Browser history

Google is slowly introducing a new way to serve targeted ads in Chrome and aims to circumvent the debate about cookies using browser history. This strategy may raise users’ concerns rather than improve the current situation, but it should be noted that it is optional.

The company began notifying users of this change through a popup in Chrome versions 115 and later. In this window, there are options to reject and accept the message or go to the settings menu to disable it.

How to turn it off?

Those who initially activate and deactivate this feature can do so by going to Settings > Privacy & Security > Ad Privacy > Advertising Topics. Additionally, users who choose to keep this setting enabled can also block certain topics they do not want advertisers to access.

Chrome’s new ad targeting system is part of the recently introduced TopicsAPI, which allows advertisers to access users’ browsing history instead of relying on third-party cookies from websites.

You’ve probably come across messages on most major websites that give you the option to accept all cookies, manage advertising and tracking cookies separately, or only accept cookies necessary for basic site operation. Websites are required to provide users with this option to comply with GDPR, which the European Union passed a few years ago in response to privacy concerns about cookies. Unfortunately, users often choose to accept all cookies in order to quickly close pop-ups.

Google claims that browsing history provided to third parties via TopicsAPI does not allow them to identify users and that it is a safer alternative to cookies. However, it is still unclear whether advertisers can use this browsing history to fingerprint individual users, as they have done in the past based on other information. After all, each person’s data is unique and personal.