DuckDuckGo updates its plugin to block Google’s latest ad-tracking tech

Recently, Google has started testing and refining its FLoC (Federated Learning of Cohorts) machine learning algorithm on the million Chrome users. The FLoC is Google’s new tracking method on Chrome.

It was designed to be a more privacy-centered way to track users and serve them ads. FLoC puts the Chrome users in a group based on their browsing history and then offers this group ID to websites to advertising against.

But some privacy protectors like Electronic Frontier Foundation have claimed that it could be harmful to consumers because any website can get that group FLoC ID to target and fingerprint you.

FLoC IDs could still be bad for consumers, containing potentially sensitive information as well as providing another data point that lets advertisers individually identify you.

In this equation, Google just started to test its replacement for third-party cookies. Meanwhile, now privacy master DuckDuckGo has announced that it has released an update to their browser plugin, which would block FLoC.

At the moment, Google will be to approve this latest updated Chrome extension, and the update should appear in the Chrome Web Store soon. The FLoC blocking feature is included in version 2021.4.8 and newer to the DuckDuckGo extension.

At last, DuckDuckGo maker announced that it is also opting their search website out of contributing to FLoC’s profiling.

(Via)