That initiative got off to a bad start when it became known that Google had quietly added millions of Chrome users to a FLoC pilot without asking them. These include proposals from Google and other market participants to phase out the use of third-party cookies, and other forms of cross-site tracking, and replace them with alternatives.įederated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC) is one of the initiatives by Google that aims to thread the needle of offering people targeted ads while respecting their privacy. In recent years, the ad industry has developed several initiatives for less intrusive technology to address these privacy risks. That approach leads to advertisers knowing far more about people than they need to, and having to store and secure all that data.

To accomplish this, the advertising industry has come up with a complex web of data processing which includes profiling, tracking, auctioning, and sharing of personal data. The concept is simple: Advertisers want to show adverts to individuals who are likely to buy their product, and consumers prefer to see adverts that are relevant to them over those that are not. And the ICO has the right to issue, on initiative or on request, opinions to Parliament, government, other institutions or bodies, and the public, on any issue related to the protection of personal data. The technology that is currently in use by the advertising industry has the potential to be highly privacy intrusive. The ICO is an independent body set up to uphold information rights. The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) wants the advertising industry to come up with new initiatives that address the risks of adtech, and take account of data protection requirements from the outset.

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