Earlier this year, Google began to shed more light on FLoC, the system that they developed as an alternative to cookies, which would make it possible to give visibility to certain user browsing data in a less invasive way, while resisting the effects of tracking blockers.
DuckDuckGo, a search engine that bases its reputation on its emphasis on privacy within the search service it offers, recently implemented a mechanism that can block the effects of this new technology.
New Google cookies can now be blocked
Although an immediate action to avoid exposure to FLoC is to do without Google Chrome for everyday browsing, this option is not entirely practical for those who already have the habit of using that browser or for those who are complicated transitions from one software to another.
For these situations, DuckDuckGo presents an alternative that simplifies things for those who want to strengthen their privacy, discouraging the collection of their browsing data. This is your already classic DuckDuckGo extension for Chrome, which in addition to providing easy access to the search engine, evaluates the level of privacy of the sites and blocks certain trackers.
The latest update of this plugin features a new tracker blocking technology, capable of neutralizing FLoC activity.
Having this extension simplifies a series of optimizations that can be performed directly from the browser to obtain a similar experience. Specifically, in these cases it would be necessary to unlink any Google account from the browser, disable ad personalization in the Google ad settings, disable web and application activity and data synchronization between devices.
Is it worth blocking FLoC?
If you use Google Chrome and are concerned about staying out of trackers, paying attention to this would be a consequential action.
This technology, an alternative to cookies, arose under Google’s desire to personalize the experience of users of its services (particularly advertising), without the obstruction of tracker blockers that have become widespread at present and the cessation of use of third-party cookies in more and more situations, by developers.
To work, FLoC assigns each user to a common group, as a generic identification, to help websites recognize patterns and target people.
Initially, Google implemented this system as an alternative to personalize ads based on search and demographic trends, leaving behind cookies. However, the current expansion of FLoC extended to a general level of navigation, regardless of the preferences of each user in this regard.
Given this, the aforementioned extension is already available, as an alternative that takes these safeguards. Similarly, in the case of mobiles, you can dispense with FLoC by replacing Chrome with some other alternative browser or with the app of this search engine, which also implemented this new locking mechanism
