1y ago

Google Chrome now targets ads based on your browser history, here's how to turn that off

www.techspot.com Google Chrome now targets ads based on your browser history, here's how to turn that off

Google is gradually introducing a new method for delivering targeted ads in Chrome that aims to bypass the controversy surrounding cookies by using browsing history instead. This...

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Instructions for a better browsing experience can be found at https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/browsers/
- This is the way.
- Firefox gets like 90% of its revenue from making Google the default search engine.
  If you want to keep Firefox independent consider donating:
  https://donate.mozilla.org/en-US/?form=donate
  
  Bad advice. Donations to Mozilla go to the Foundation to fulfill it's 'mission', whatever it is, whereas FF development is done by Mozilla Corp. which can't legally take donations. Don't waste your money.

A better way of turning it off is uninstalling it
- On desktop, I'm really wondering why people use it. I mean it's not pre-installed for windows, what makes people choose Chrome in 2023?
  
  To people who don't know any better it's become synonymous with "the internet", much like Internet Explorer in its heyday.
  Also, websites saying that they only work with Chrome is a pretty big deal.
  
  I use chrome for all my work-related web apps simply because it's more reliable(the app devs fault for not testing anything else)
  However I'm also not super worried. My chrome browsing is entirely related to the work I do and all my personal web stuff is done in Firefox.
  
  There are some web apps that only support chrome on windows (or chrome and edge). An app from my doctor’s office refused to run on FF for a while. Thankfully it now has a “try running on unsupported browser “ link so I’m not blocked. (Let’s not get into why I’m running windows)
  
  Google search engine
  "Hey! Install Chrome!"
  Even with Edge, google is synonymous with web searching for most people.
  
  Because work approved it and edge. It may suck but it’s not edge.
  
  is "default" because everyone else uses ..
  
  My job uses Google for everything - their office suite and Classroom. I’ve got Chrome on my computer just for work.
  
  Comes on me phone. Comes on me chromebook. Simple as
- Firefox is a real good choice.

Here's how to turn that off:
Uninstall Google Chrome
Install Firefox, Ungoogled Chromium, or, heck, Vivaldi
Stop trusting Google
There we go, problem solved.
- Remember when websites were tracking us across websites like the Facebook pixel.
  Now Google just like we ain't need that.

here's how to turn that off
Install firefox

here's how to turn that off
... use Firefox? How are we still talking about chrome here?
Edit: yes I know many still use Chrome. That's exactly the problem. Google does shady shit, people shrug it off because insert whatever reason. Google likes that and plans the next shady shit. Rinse, repeat.
- lmao
- Many still use chrome
  
  The popular choice isn't always the best one.
- It's one of the major things people here on Lemmy like to talk about, I mean take a look at this comment section. Nothing but "use Firefox", "Google bad". While somewhat true, it's incredibly lame and monotonous.

How to turn it off: stop using chrome

TL;DR: use Firefox

Best solution: Stop using Chrome.
It's not the fastest nor the most feature rich anymore, not even the simplest.

Chrome is not a web browser anymore. It's a ad browser.

To all the "use Firefox" people, my work website requires Chrome, so I appreciate this OP.
- If it blocks you from opening the page if you use firefox, there is a firefox extension(agent switcher) to trick the website into thinking you are using a different OS or browser
  If it doesnt work, you can use ungoogled chromium or chromium
  Edit: if neither work, you can try to use the user agent switcher extension on chromium
- You can use Chromium for that. Also it's not a website then.
  
  nope. thought so too until i had to install chrome in the middle of a meeting.
  Also it's not a website then.
  ?
  
  You can call it whatever you want, I need it for work. Also, Safari is Chromium and the site doesn't work in Safari either. Whatever the Indian coders they contracted to make it did it in some way that only Chrome works.
  But if you don't want me to thank OP, fine. I withdraw my thanks.

I don't remember chrome ever looking like that with that button on the top left, did they really use a picture of Firefox with a custom theme for their article about Chrome?
- The image was first used on their site in another article in 2020.
  Tineye turns up a lot of usages.
  The original seems to be from shutterstock, which also has an alternate angle available. The artist describes it as "Google Chrome homepage on computer screen".
  In conclusion: idk if that's firefox.
  
  That is Firefox. I remember.
  
  I think Firefox Australis with classic theme restorer could look like this, navigated to the Google Chrome homepage.
  I think even very old Chrome had the settings menu where it is today, with a toolbox icon.

“Don’t be evil”.

It sounds like Google could have done a much better job announcing and explaining how the new system works. This is a definite improvement in privacy over the "cookie" standard in advertising. I don't know if turning this off just keeps you locked-in to using cookies, but it doesn't turn off identification like a lot of you seem to imply.
To those of you out there not using an adblocker: this new system eliminates the use of advertiser-based cookies. All your identification is based on a minimal number of categories based on your browsing history. It doesn't send your actual history to an advertiser, just some (5, I think?) topics that have held your interest within the last few weeks. I'm sure there's a list of these keywords sent to the ad-server so it can decide what to send. I don't really care what they are, because I'm in the next group.
To those of you out there using Firefox and/or an adblocker: carry on, nothing to see here. Keep promoting your favorite non-Chrome based browser and adblocker.

You guys are using chrome?

Wtf is that thumbnail? Looks like pre Australis firefox ui on the get chrome page lmao

Does this only affect Chrome or other Chromium-based browsers (i.e. Edge) as well?
- don't think so, doesn't look like a part of the engine

I've disabled this by never using chrome. I haven't used it in more than 6 years. Because fuck Google.

Weren't they already doing that?
Chrome didn't have the option to delete your browsing history every time you shut your browser, presumably for that exact reason.

This is evil

Honestly, yes you guys should move to Firefox. I pretty much stayed on Chrome until chromium Edge was a thing. I tried that and ended up using that until they bloated it to hell and back, so I am back to using Firefox. Honestly just use anything but Chrome.

How do I turn it off if I use Firefox already?

I'll just continue to use Ungoogled Chromium and Librewolf

Vivaldi is going to block this. It is a thing being built into the engine and they are going to be blocking it in their browser.
I know people say Vivaldi is slow but they've done some refactoring recently. Gave it a whirl and it's as fast as Edge now on my old crappy laptop.

How long will it take for people to stop using Chrome?

Chekhov's Browser

I don't mind this at all, but it's funny that I barely if ever get ads that would make me want to buy something. I don't even use an adblocker on my android phone and i use chrome on me laptop
- This how dystopia is created. There is always some percentage of humans who fails to see future complications and ok with everything capitalism does.
  
  :shrug:
  
  You'd think that fediverse users would understand that the most..

Is this not better for me though? If I'm gonna have ads forced on me, they might as well be relevant.
- Hope you will enjoy a private company sharing everything about your life to the highest bidder. By the way, do you have curtains on your house's windows? Why is that?
  
  The only curtains in my house are in the bedrooms, and that's just to block out light so we can sleep. My house isn't visible to any roads or other houses though.

Ok. Imma get lambasted for this, but here goes.
I have no problem seeing ads. I respect that if I'm getting a commercial product or service for 'free', then I'm paying another way.
If I have to see ads, why not see ads that might be relevant to my interests? I mean, I'd rather see an ad for a video game than a bank.
I don't see what all the FUD is about. What the fuck are y'all surfing that you're so protective of?
- Targeted advertisements can be harmful, by directing (for example) gambling ads at people who show to be prone to addiction through the websites they visit.
  Ads are fine, in some way, but I do not want random companies I've never heard of to know all of my details. Details which may become hacked.
  Just because "I've got nothing to hide" doesn't mean I should be happy when everyone knows all about me.
  
  For this feature though they've tried to select the topics to be ones that "[do] not include sensitive categories (i.e. race, sexual orientation, religion, etc.)". The list is also public and gambling is not on it:
  https://github.com/patcg-individual-drafts/topics/blob/main/taxonomy_v2.md
  While this won't satisfy those who want no individualized ads or no ads at all, it would be an improvement over what we have now and put control over what topics are used (or even if it's enabled at all) in the local browser instead of some server online.
- the good old I have nothing to hide
- The machanical extraction of highly personal data (did you have sex last night?) to build faux diary entries on people (this person lives alone) so others can easly pair their tailored attacks on the psyche to those who are vunrable. Were all vulnerable, just in diffrent places. Just gotta figure yours out.
  I wish these systems were built to help match people with helpful products, but the non concent bugs me intensely.
- I'd be concerned about the fact that you could live in a country where a law change could occur where suddenly the govt tells Google to keyword search people's internet history on certain topics so they can start investigating and potentially prosecuting people.
  You might not have anything to hide now but what you do that's legal now might become illegal later, the US is a perfect example of that with all kinds of backwards BS happening there, abortion being a big example.
  
  Isn't this client-side solution for analyzing the history and coming up with ad topics for sites better in your scenario than the server-side solutions currently in use though? A government would have a much harder time trying to get access to the data when it's on each individual's device, rather than a profile created through an online ad service.

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