In 2021, Google FLoC (Federated Learning of Cohorts) appeared as a third-party cookie substitute that prioritised privacy. The goal was to allay privacy worries while maintaining targeted advertising. By classifying users into cohorts based on their browsing habits, FLoC made it possible for advertisers to target entire groups with their adverts rather than single consumers. FLoC, however, came under fire from privacy activists who voiced worries about possible fingerprinting and profiling hazards. Google made the announcement that “Topics,” a new strategy that focused on understanding users’ interests without tracking their specific browsing behaviour, would replace FLoC in January 2022. With Topics, personalisation and privacy are balanced in a way that gives advertisers information without sacrificing user privacy.
Concerns about user privacy in the context of the digital advertising industry have sparked a number of projects and discussions about how to strike a balance between targeted advertising and user privacy protection. Contextual advertising, which targets adverts based on the context of the web page rather than tracking individual user behaviour, is one noteworthy idea. Contextual advertising takes into account things like the page’s content, keywords, and the user’s purpose at the time of surfing. This strategy seeks to deliver appropriate adverts without utilising tracking or personal information.