Google Interest-Based Android Ad Targeting Opens For Beta Tests

Google has begun to roll out the first Beta for its Privacy Sandbox -- an ad-tech stack that aims to explain how ad tracking, targeting and reporting is done -- on Android to eligible devices.

“Over the past year, we’ve worked closely with the industry to gather feedback and begin testing these new technologies,” Anthony Chavez, vice president of Privacy Sandbox at Google, wrote in a blog post published Tuesday.

Privacy Sandbox for the Web will phase out third-party cookies by using techniques like differential privacy, k-anonymity, and on-device processing. It also aims to limit other forms of tracking, like fingerprinting by restricting the amount of information sites can access so that information remains private, safe, and secure.

The beta provides new APIs designed based on privacy.

They do not use any type of identifier that can track activity across apps and websites. Apps that choose to participate in the Beta can use the APIs to serve relevant ads and measure effectiveness.

Chavez explains in the post that marketers who go to the Privacy Sandbox section of Settings will have the ability to manage the interests that apps can use to serve relevant ads.

For example, marketers could see that Android has estimated interest in topics such as Movies or Outdoors, and can block any topics if they do not fit the person’s interests. No one is locked into the beta and users can opt-out at any time.

AppsFlyer has been working closely with Android’s team to improve the level of privacy through its ecosystem while providing marketing measurement.

“We are impressed with the strides and commitment Android has made as our partner for privacy-centric measurement in the short time since the Privacy Sandbox on Android was announced,” Barak Witkowski, executive vice president of products at AppsFlyer, told Google.

Adjust, InMobi, Rovio Entertainment, Unity, Wolt, and Yahoo Japan also were early adopters of Privacy Sandbox.  

It has been a year since Google announced Privacy Sandbox on Android. As the beta launches, it’s not clear how many Android users who will be exposed to this ad targeting. Google did publish how to participate in the beta.

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