Google said earlier this year that it would work with other browser companies to block them cookies third parties in Chrome.
So today developers have their first chance to try a suggested alternative to track users across the web: Trust tokens.
Unlike cookies, trust tokens are designed for control identity of a user without needing to know their identity. Trust tokens won't be able to track users across websites, because in theory they're all the same, but they will be able to allow websites to prove to advertisers that it was real users and not bots who visited a website or clicked on an ad.
Trust Token API Explainer
Google has been a little slower to come up with a solution for the third-party tracking cookies that no one seems to want. Safari and Firefox browsers block them alreadychoice, although Safari is much more aggressive.
However, Mike Schulman, Google's vice president of privacy and ad security, reiterated in a suspension on the blog that the company still plans to phase out third-party cookies in Chrome.
In addition, Google will make some changes to the "why this ad" button that allows you to see why certain ads are targeting you and not someone else. The new “about this ad” plugin will also provide the verified name of the advertiser so you can tell which companies are targeting you and understand how Google collects your personal information data for the ads. We will see the new addition to ads towards the end of the year.
The company also announced an extension for its Chrome browser. It is currently in alpha phase, and is called Ads Transparency Spotlight. This extension should provide “detailed information about all the ads you see on the web”.
Users will be able to see the details of the ads on a particular page, see why the ads are displayed on a page and a list of other companies and services on the page, site details or content delivery networks.
