Google announced an overhaul in its approach to advertising and privacy on Android phones. Unveiling the Privacy Sandbox on Wednesday, executive Android Anthony Chavez also made a thinly veiled criticism of Apple.
Unsubtle Dig at Apple as Android Announces Privacy Sandbox
Mr. Chavez wrote in a blog post that Privacy Sandbox will be developed over a number of years. The company has “the goal of introducing new, more private advertising solutions.” This will include limiting the user data shared with third parties and stopping the use of cross-app identifiers, including Android’s own advertising ID system.
In a jibe clearly aimed at Apple and its App Tracking Transparency system, Mr. Chavez said:
We realize that other platforms have taken a different approach to ads privacy, bluntly restricting existing technologies used by developers and advertisers. We believe that — without first providing a privacy-preserving alternative path — such approaches can be ineffective and lead to worse outcomes for user privacy and developer businesses.
“We don’t think there should be a forced choice between privacy and developers building their business,” he added.
The blog post was pretty light on detail. However, the Google exec did say the company will continue to work with regulators. This includes the Competition and Markets Authority in the UK. As the Wall Street Journal noted, the company’s previous attempts to remove third-party cookies was delayed following concerns.
Translating what the Google designated liar said: “We believe that we can give smartphone users (who are not our customers) the privacy they want and also give our advertisers (who are our customers) the private information that they need.”
If you couch your language with enough big words and compound clauses, you might almost succeed in making two logically contradictory ideas sound perfectly compatible.