From Jason Aten's "Google Says It Will Block Tracking on Android. There's Just One Glaring Problem" posted Saturday on Inc.
Google assumes that tracking of some form is the default. Its plan is to do it in a way that is less offensive to users, but it fully intends on giving advertisers "the tools to succeed on mobile." Apple, instead, gave users a tool to shut it all off.
That's why I find it interesting that the biggest headline in many stories is that Google's change could be another blow to Meta, Facebook's parent company. Meta lost more than $280 billion off its market cap after it said that Apple's privacy changes will cost it as much as $10 billion this year.
I'm not sure that's true, however. The biggest hit to Facebook's business is that almost every user--when given the choice--opts out of letting apps track their activity. Since Google isn't requiring developers to ask permission before tracking users, it's likely to have much less of an impact on Facebook's business...
It's almost as though Google can read the room well enough to know that it has to say that it's going to do something while hoping that if it drags it out long enough, people will move on and forget about it. After all, Google is notorious for announcing vague plans that point in the direction of doing something about privacy, and then not actually doing much of anything.
My take: Google read the room correctly. Facebook responded by pronouncing itself "encouraged" by Google's collaborative approach.
“related words for collusion, like: cooperation, fraud, conspiracy, plot, intrigue, agreement, cahoots, connivance, scheme, cabal and machination.”
While Google does make oodles of money on software and has great margins (57% in FY 2021), except for a small amount gifted to us long ago, I refuse to invest in this company and perhaps why I have such a strong aversion to the Android OS and it’s primary goals to track people and make advertising billions for Google.
An example of Google foot dragging from the article:
“For example, back in 2019, it said it would phase out third-party cookies in Google Chrome, the world’s most popular web browser. It still hasn’t happened. It turns out, Google’s track record on privacy isn’t just complicated, it might be its most glaring problem of all.” ‘Nuff said.
Free?? I’m guessing that 30-40% of all the data bandwidth a user pays for every month is ad data being shuttled back and forth, your data to Google and advertisers, multiple ads and spam back to you. Google works for the advertisers that pay them and their primary (nay only) product is you, the Android user (and opted in iOS user).
I guess that’s what makes Android users feel so special, being willingly abused by Google and it’s advertising vampires. /s Rant off.
To Google it’s not a problem, it’s a money making feature!
Kinda turns the stomach, doesn’t it?