Google Chrome pushes browser history-based ad targeting • The Register

1984@lemmy.today to Technology@lemmy.ml – 247 points –
Google Chrome pushes browser history-based ad targeting
theregister.com

Topics essentially works like this: rather than using cookies to track people around the web and figure out their interests from the sites they visit and the apps they use, websites can ask Chrome directly, via its Topics JavaScript API, what sort of things the user is interested in, and then display ads based on that. Chrome picks these topics of interest from studying the user's browser history.

Isn't this completely immoral? They are literally stealing the users private browsing history and uses it to boost their own profits.

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Nothing. It's only the tin-foil hatters that care about privacy because the normal people have nothing to hide.

Post your entire browser history right now then.

Probably could, there's nothing interesting you'll find there but I'm not bothered enough.

Interesting. So they know what bank you use, which problems you have in your relationship, if your partner was ever unfaithful.

They can find out stuff about you that you don’t know yourself and use it to manipulate you (for example in pointing you away from anti trust legislation support, etc).

It’s not tinfoil hat at all. Google and co have been fined billions for doing this exact stuff.

Post your last 100 transactions?

Nah. Am good. You people can't read sarcasm or what ...

Sarcasm in person generally comes with a distinctive tone of voice, facial expressions, and body language that are lacking in text-only communication. If people know you well enough in a text chat, they can often make assumptions about your seriousness based on what they know of your beliefs, but we are on an anonymous message board here. The people here have no experience with whether or not you are naive or a jokester or seriously confused. There's a reason it became standard to mark sarcasm on reddit with /s, it is the simplest replacement for the missing tone and body language context that would go along with a statement if we were communicating face to face.

Sarcasm can also just be common sense but apparently humor isn't that common here.