Google to let you block advert tracking on Android devices

Google will make it easier for Android users to restrict how much personal data they share online, but not for at least another two years.

It plans to add tools for the Android operating system that will limit how much of your personal information apps can pass on to other companies. The move would also ban apps tracking your activity as you switch between apps and websites.

Currently, each Android device has a unique ‘advertising ID’ that lets companies build a profile of users so they can show them adverts they’re likely to be interested in.

But Google wants to replace this with its “more private” Privacy Sandbox system (www.snipca.com/40973), which it’s also adding to its Chrome browser in 2023.

Apple made a similar change last year that forced apps to ask users permission to track them. The move was criticised by Facebook owner Meta, saying it would cost them $10bn (around £7.4bn) in lost advertising revenue this year.

Data in the US suggests Apple users are choosing not to be tracked 96 per cent of the time.

Both companies are keen to change the rules themselves rather than being forced by regulators to impose even stricter measures.

But Google’s move is more cautious than Apple’s, chiefly because it relies much more heavily on advertising revenue. About 80 per cent of its parent company Alphabet’s income is generated from online adverts.

Google says it will work closely with advertisers over the next two years to make sure any changes to protect user privacy don’t end up harming online businesses.