Google may stop user tracking via cookies
THE EVENT THE VOTE WHY IT MATTERS WILL HE SURVIVE? HOW LONG WILL IT LAST? THE ROAD AHEAD “YOU CANNOT GO FORWARD UNTIL YOU HAVE JUSTICE.” — US HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI
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SAN FRANCISCO: Google is weaning itself off user tracking “cookies” that allow the web giant to deliver personalised ads but which also have raised the hackles of privacy defenders.
Last month, Google unveiled the results of tests showing an alternative to the longstanding tracking practice, claiming it could improve online privacy while still enabling advertisers to serve up relevant messages.
“This approach effectively hides individuals ‘in the crowd’ and uses on-device processing to keep a person’s web history private on the browser,” Google
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FIVE-STOREY WONDER
LONDON: Blink and you could easily miss it. Wedged between a doctor’s surgery and a hairdressing salon, London’s thinnest house is only identified by a streak of dark blue paint.
But the five-floor house in Shepherd’s Bush - which is just 1.6 metres at its narrowest point - is currently on the market for £950,000 ($1.3 million).
The unusual property, originally a Victorian hat shop with storage for merchandise and living quarters on its upper floors, was built sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. In a nod to its past, the house still has } product manager Chetna Bindra explained in unveiling the system called Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC).
“Results indicate that when it comes to generating interestbased audiences, FLoC can provide an effective replacement signal for third-party cookies.”
Google plans to begin testing the FLoC approach with advertisers later this year with its Chrome browser.
Google has been hammered by critics over user privacy, and is keenly aware of trends for legislation protecting people’s data rights.
SHEPHERD’S BUSH an old-fashioned glass shopfront with a lamp in the shape of a bowler hat.
David Myers, an assistant sales manager at Winkworth estate agents which is selling the property, said the house was worth its price tag because it’s “a unique part of London history”.
“It’s a bit of London magic,” he told AFP.
While the kitchen at the end of the lower ground floor is the house’s narrowest spot, it opens up into a dining area that’s nearly double the size. A 16-footwide garden lies beyond behind French windows.
A pedestrian passes by what is dubbed 'London's thinnest house' (painted blue) in London.