Android begins shift towards privacy-first advertising tools with Privacy Sandbox

Android is getting serious about respecting user privacy on the web with the introduction of Privacy Sandbox.

In a nutshell, Privacy Sandbox is an initiative with an end goal of helping Android mobile users keep most of their privacy intact when interacting with free content and services online. At the same time, the initiative also seeks to replace existing privacy practices for online advertising – one that still allows for relevant, targeted ads even with limited user tracking.

“Our goal with the Privacy Sandbox on Android is to develop effective and privacy enhancing advertising solutions, where users know their information is protected, and developers and businesses have the tools to succeed on mobile,” - Google blog post on Android’s Privacy Sandbox.

If all this sounds familiar to you, that’s because of a similar privacy feature in Apple’s iOS mobile operating system – App Tracking Transparency. While the implementation might differ between Android and iOS, the latter works on the same principles by minimising collected data from users, while introducing new tools for advertisers to measure advertising effectiveness.

While it’s an industry-wide change that requires the cooperation of developers, ad tech firms, and online advertisers, Google is already developing technologies that reduce potential covert data collection, and safer methods for integrating advertising SDKs. However, we have to say it’s not for nought since Android apps are known to collect user data silently.

You can read more about Privacy Sandbox at Google’s blog. If you’re a developer or working in a relevant online advertising field, you can contribute to Privacy Sandbox by signing up at its official website here.

This article was first published in Hardware Zone.