Google lets a few Android devices into its Privacy Sandbox

Google on Tuesday began rolling out a beta test of its Privacy Sandbox software for a small portion of Android 13 devices to learn how its purportedly privacy-protecting ad tech actually performs. Google began working on its Privacy Sandbox in 2019 and its Android iteration surfaced a year ago. The ad tech do-over represents …

[Anonymous Coward]

Torn on this.

If Google are only going to collect data via their first-party relationship with users, and block everybody else from tracking then this sounds like a great idea to me personally: I use none of Google's services, so that would be a win for me. However I simply don't believe that they'd only collect data that way, so on balance if Google think this is a good idea then it probably isn't - when the biggest data-slurper on the planet starts talking about user privacy my bullshit meter goes off.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Torn on this.

Do you use Google keyboard? Check all those nice, juicy services that app uses, besides the actual keyboard and then we'll talk.

[JimboSmith]

Re: Torn on this.

If you’re worried about Google (or other companies) spying on you on your Android phone/tablet there is a way to stop them. It’s to use a no root firewall and block outgoing and incoming connections for individual apps and services. You can see which addresses apps are trying to communicate with and how frequently. I restricted a weather app I downloaded to just the source for the data, it had a fit and complained that it couldn’t connect which it bloody well could, but just not to the random dodgy website it wanted to. I deleted that one and found another that didn’t complain.

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: Torn on this.

What if it's "Android (ie Google) system networking", and the destination is Google.com? You going to block those?

That's the complaint, Google can block all other advertising trackers leaving itself a monopoly to buy targeted ads from

[Chet Mannly]

Re: Torn on this.

And if you block Play Services all manner of things cease working. And you just know Google will incorporate it into play services so it can't be uninstalled/blocked...

[Chet Mannly]

Re: Torn on this.

Not torn here - Google scooping up every lick of data they can *and* running their ad system to process all that data on my device?

That's a hard f#%^ off from the Australian judge...

[LenG]

Alternative approach

I'm not sure I'll ever be able to fully prevent the various service providers from gathering information about me but I'm not too bothered as I have made a pretty good fist of ensuring that ads aren't actually displayed.

[Alumoi]

Re: Alternative approach

You don't get it, do you?

It's not about ads, it's about building a profile on you, a profile which could be used by anyone, anytime, for whatever reason they want.

Your innocent remark about something on ElReg? Not a problem, but would you care to bet it won't be a problem a couple of years from now?

[Anonymous Coward]

@LenG - Re: Alternative approach

You're assuming Alphabet, Meta, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and the myriad of shady data aggregators are profiling you only to show you ads but you're wrong. Wait until that data will reach law enforcement, health insurers and money lenders and then you will have the measure of the deep sh%t you'll be in. How do you think they will build your social credit and come up with the insurance premiums you will pay ?