Facebook has been tracking Android users

It is a policy regarding user tracking. So far, Android has allowed third-party apps (such as Facebook) to use temporary cookies, where data related to device usage has been collected.

True, the data is provided voluntarily, because users agreed to such an operation when installing the application, but often they did it unconsciously (after all, who reads the regulations and license the application …).

Google will ban tracking of Android users

It turns out that this situation may soon change. Google has announced that it has begun work on the Privacy Sandbox, a new policy for user tracking on Android. The main change will be … blocking access to cookies by third parties.

The idea is not new. It is worth noting that initially this function was scheduled to appear in the Chrome browser already this year, but due to protests from the advertising industry, its implementation was postponed to next year.

For Android devices, this feature may be available even at a later time. Anthony Chavez, vice president of product management for Android, says it will take longer to implement such changes, and it will take two years at the earliest. In the case of Apple iOS devices, a similar function already works (we are talking about the ATT platform – App Tracking Transparency).

Facebook (and others) may have a problem

The changes made can reach Facebook more than others. The platform tries to collect as much data as possible about the user in order to place ads in the best possible position. The rule is simple – the better the ads are matched, the (theoretically) more effective and profitable.

Disrupting Facebook from user tracking can reduce the effectiveness of your ads and severely reduce your company’s revenue stream. Recently, FB revealed that a policy change in Apple devices was to reduce its revenue by $10 billion. In the case of Android, the drops can be even higher.

Source: money