An update on Mozilla’s PPA experiment and how it protects user privacy while testing cutting edge technologies to improve the open web.
An update on Mozilla’s PPA experiment and how it protects user privacy while testing cutting edge technologies to improve the open web.
I will say it again: The way i read it, it sounds like the companies will get some general data if their ads work, without a profile about you being created. I am fine with that.
Just imagine what a boon it would be for the “normal“ less tech savvy, if advertisers switched to a more privacy respecting technology like this.
If more privacy focused people don’t like it, they can simply disable it by ticking one box, without negative consequences (unlike content blockers and similar techniques where a website can penalize you, turned off PPA is not detectable).
It has no downsides as far as I am concerned. It doesn’t give advertisers additional data that they wouldn’t already be able to get, it just creates the option of measuring their ads in a privacy respecting way.
Companies get extra data through Firefox, which now acts on behalf of the ad corporations.
But advertisers have better options, both for reach, or for privacy. They can simply do A/B testing on their own, without involving a third party…
*If you trust the advertiser, they can do it on their own. If you don’t trust the advertiser, then the additional third party does nothing.
You mean extra data compared to them using any other advertising model, like google advertising? Do you have a source for that?
Because that is what PPA has to be compared to, and not to no ad measurement at all. It‘s meant to be replacing other advertising measurement techniques.
The comparison chart looks like it‘s copied from somewhere, would you mind sharing? I wouldn‘t mind a deeper dive into the topic.
In particular, these claims never get accompanied by examples of what extra data these companies get through PPA. Presumably, because there is none.
You know what they say about people who assume, especially when it’s about a company that had to sneak their changes into the browser in a way that would make even Google executives blush.
…except when you assume that data gets leaked despite literally nobody having been able to point to anything that indicates that it’s happening?
It is Mozilla’s job to show us what data is shared. Mozilla failed on that front.
If you want to be the Mozilla evangelist, then show us all on Mozilla’s behalf exactly what data gets sent over, so that we can replicate it.
Here:
A “value”!
How very specific!
That is correct: why would any corporation choose to sideline their current advertisement model by creating an extra solution that doesn’t even tap 3% of the market, while abandoning the data collection they already have?
If you trust the advertisement company to provide private ads, they can do it without the browser working on their behalf.
And if you don’t trust the advertisement company, there’s nothing the browser can do to make their ads list privacy invasive… Besides blocking it.
The source to the table is me, but I can provide the article that inspired it.
The mere fact this technology exists gives legislators a tool in their toolbox. I could imagine a future where the EU mandates use of PPA in certain circumstances.
Or more importantly, forbids the use of privacy-invasive methods of measuring ad performance.
In its current form, I concur, you might be correct. But:
So the point is to create a system that other browsers could adopt. The other thing that could drive this, is the GDPR compliance. PPA is compliant, while a lot of the other technologies aren’t, and businesses are feeling more pressure. There is a reason that Meta participated in parts of the development.
All I can say is: Dont let perfect be the enemy of good. This is so far only a test.
Edit: I found the time to look at your source article, I had actually read it before when it was posted a month back. I will comment on their views, some right, others which can be debated, and on other details were they are just wrong. In general privacyguides is a great resource but I find this particular opinion piece to be lacking.
Spoiler, because I it's a long comment already
First off, for a healthy debate I will define two things for me. Tracking = creating a profile, ad measurement = measuring the ads effectiveness. If an Ad can be measured without a profile about me being created, I don’t consider it tracking.
They assume that everyone uses a content blocker everywhere. Privacyguides and Mozilla have different target audiences. Privacyguides caters to people who are interested and have enough technical knowledge to try to prevent tracking. Mozilla is trying to cater to “normal”(in the sense of the majority) people who are not interested/ not knowledgable enough to do so. So there are two starting points. The “normal” who are already tracked by current advertising systems and privacy-focussed-people who try their best to prevent tracking. Privacy-focussed-people can just turn off PPA -> no more data gathered than before. But it is the “normal” people who have something to gain. If PPA replaces traditional ad tracking, less data and only anonymized data is gathered. The ads are measured, but users are not tracked. So it’s not a tool added but a tool improved to provide greater privacy.
While I agree, that the communications could have been handled better, Mozilla has a point. Firefox isn’t only meant for tech-enthusiast, but also for people who won’t take the time or aren’t able to grasp the concept of PPA without doing a lot of reading, and that’s the majority. So Firefox developers are absolutely right to make choices, that they deem right for users. And that PPA is a challenging concept is proven by the author not fully grasping it themselves, as I will point out later.
The aggregation server is actually two different servers by two different parties (Mozilla and ISRG). Yes in theory they could collude and combine the data (they are transparent about that). But why would they, they are trying to create a system that’s better than before. I concur that trust has to be placed in them but you still have the option to turn it off and the alternatives is other ad tracking networks collecting the data with a profile about you being created.
This is, were they are just plain wrong/dishonest. A Url would just be able to measure something if the add was clicked. PPA can measure ads that were seen but a purchase happened at a later time. This is what current tracking technology does but PPA can do it, without a profile about you being created, so a privacy gain.
Some people might say that Mozilla should just block ads outright to prevent any tracking. The problem is that the Internet is funded by ads. Mozilla themselves through their connection to Google is. Privacyguides is right to point out that there is a conflict of interest. But what Mozilla is trying to achieve is to prevent tracking (profile creation about you) and not ads. I am in favor of that. I like services to exist, because they fund themselves through ads, I just don’t want to be tracked.
Do you want to see Mozilla and Firefox die a hero, or do you want to see it live long enough to become the villain?
With the US ruling of Google being a monopoly, Mozilla is bound to lose a lot of their income if that’s the decision that comes to pass. I’m happy with the courts ruling Google as a monopoly (because they are), but it does mean Mozilla needs to try to make money some other way.