For a long time, the business model of Internet powerhouses that offered free services was based on gathering user data and monetising it through advertisements. The global highlighting of data privacy concerns, on the other hand, has driven firms to adapt their working methods. Simultaneously, the large tech companies, namely, Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon, have come under increased antitrust investigation for attempting to monopolise their industries.

Apple launched the app tracking transparency (ATT) feature for iPhones and iPads last year, which forces developers to request permission to follow users’ activities across apps and websites. Google stated earlier in the month that it would extend the Privacy Sandbox, the privacy solution it is developing for the web, to Android smartphones. The Android Privacy Sandbox might be available in two years. Google has stated that the Privacy Sandbox will minimise covert tracking on the internet and will be phasing out third-party cookies. Apple and Google’s recent steps may be considered both a benefit to consumer privacy and a step toward significantly boosting their firms’ positions.

Although the installation of Privacy Sandbox on Android may have a more significant impact on Meta due to the larger worldwide market share of Android devices, even the adoption of the technology on the web may be detrimental to Meta. Unlike Amazon and Google, Facebook relies extensively on tracking third-party user behaviour to produce statistics. In the context of Amazon or Google, however, consumers contribute to generating first-hand data through their inquiries. Furthermore, Apple’s decision to limit app monitoring has thrown the scales in Google’s favour in terms of online advertising. Interestingly, unlike Apple, Google’s principal business is internet advertising.

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-Adv. Sabrina Bath
(Content Writer, WCSF)