Firefox 128 has introduced an experimental Privacy Preserving Attribution (PPA) API designed to help ensure user privacy while assisting advertisers in targeting ads more effectively. This innovation aims to strike a balance between privacy and advertising needs, though there are concerns about its potential impact.
How PPA Technology Works
With the release of Firefox 128, PPA technology is enabled by default, a move Mozilla hopes will set a new standard for targeted advertising on the web. The API allows website developers to evaluate the effectiveness of advertising without collecting data about resource visitors. This serves as an alternative to tracking user actions across multiple sites using cookies, which have been blocked in Firefox and some other browsers (except Chrome) for years.
The core of the PPA model is “impressions,” stored in Firefox each time a user views advertising banners on a site. Based on this data, the browser generates a report, and the site retrieves the information directly from Firefox. The data is encrypted, anonymized, and stored locally on the device. Advertisers receive reports on campaign effectiveness, and users are protected from unauthorized access to personal information.
Comparison with Google’s Privacy Sandbox
NIX Solutions reminds that Google previously proposed a similar solution as an alternative to third-party cookies. Their Privacy Sandbox technology is also designed to track advertising effectiveness by creating an anonymous user profile in the browser. However, human rights activists claim it was developed primarily in the interests of the advertising industry. We’ll keep you updated on how these technologies evolve.
Concerns and Future of PPA
The PPA is currently working with a small number of sites in testing mode, and Mozilla hopes the technology will become a web standard that other browsers, and perhaps even Google, will adopt. However, human rights activists argue that the PPA function should be disabled by default, rather than enabled in Firefox.
Mozilla’s effort to balance user privacy with advertising needs continues to be a point of discussion and development. We’ll keep you updated on further developments and their implications for both users and advertisers.