Google Tests 'FLoC' System for Post-Cookie World

Google is trialling a new approach called FLoC (Federated Learning Cohorts), as part of its commitment to eliminate third-party cookies and replace them with 'privacy-first' alternatives through which publishers and advertisers can target and measure ads.

A year ago, Google announced its intention to phase out third-party cookies on its browser platform Chrome. This was part of the firm's Privacy Sandbox initiative, which aims to develop a set of open standards to enhance privacy on the web and prevent improper tracking, while continuing to allow ad targeting within the Chrome browser. At the time, industry bodies ANA and the 4A's said that Google's decision might 'choke off the economic oxygen from advertising that start-ups and emerging companies need to survive'.

FLoC, which will be open for testing in March, proposes a new way for businesses to reach people with relevant content and ads, by clustering large groups of people with similar interests. According to Google, this approach hides individuals 'in the crowd', and uses on-device processing to keep a person's web history private on the browser. Google's ads teams have tested this alternative by creating simulations based on the principles defined in Chrome's FLoC proposal. The company claims that results indicate that when it comes to generating interest-based audiences, FLoC can provide an 'effective replacement signal' for third-party cookies.

Chetna Bindra (pictured), Group Product Manager User Trust and Privacy at Google, comments: 'For Google's ads teams, the Privacy Sandbox technologies represent the future of how our ads and measurement products will work on the web. We encourage others to join us in defining this new approach which will create better experiences for consumers while providing more durable solutions for the ad industry,' she adds.

According to global research conducted by ad tech platform Adform and first-party data provider Dynata, there is a 'significant lack of readiness' for life without third-party cookies. Three-quarters (75%) of companies surveyed globally believe the removal of third-party cookies will have an impact on their business, but more than three quarters (78%) of marketers globally have no tested solution in place for 2022, rising to 90% in the UK. Phil Acton, Adform Country Manager, UK & BeNeFrance, warns that these findings need to be a wake-up call for marketers, while describing the deprecation of the cookie as a 'ticking time bomb'.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.