If the rumors are true then Google will be moving away from the small tag-like identifiers and to an anonymous ID. This new type of tracking tool could be good for end users if it is really anonymous as the name implies. Google would have control of these and would only transmit them to advertisers that agree to abide by certain restrictions. According to some in the industry this will be a rather big problem as it would put tracking and advertising even more in the hands of Google. Right now Google is in control of about a third of the internet’s advertising and others in the industry are worried this move would give them control over even more.

There is also no guarantee that this would protect users from Google. If the information from Edward Snowden is accurate Google already gives information to the NSA when they are asked so despite the anonymous tag in the title the tracking code could still have personal information. These companies and groups want to continue to use more open technologies that give everyone a piece of the pie. They want this despite the fact that internet users are demanding ways to block this tracking. The idea of relevant ads might be popular to advertising companies and to the corporations that use them, but to most people actually browsing the internet they are an annoying side effect to being able to find the information they really want. Maybe one day a balance will be found between intrusive tracking of habits on the internet and offering ads that really are relevant to what people want… ok probably not.

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