{"id":30685,"date":"2022-02-11T12:02:51","date_gmt":"2022-02-11T11:02:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yieldbird.com\/?p=30685"},"modified":"2024-07-22T19:27:10","modified_gmt":"2024-07-22T17:27:10","slug":"topics-api-a-new-feature-to-googles-privacy-sandbox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yieldbird.com\/research-hub\/topics-api-a-new-feature-to-googles-privacy-sandbox\/","title":{"rendered":"TOPICS API &#8211; A New Feature to Google\u2019s Privacy Sandbox"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:21px\"><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">After the recently completed FLoC trial and the criticism of this solution by large swathes of the advertising market, developers, and EU lawmakers, <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.google\/products\/chrome\/get-know-new-topics-api-privacy-sandbox\/?fbclid=IwAR1zqe8pdtwQuDp0Nd5oI1CDRfPqwPmpT795odjkx36XFSvsR10sAyOFPdE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Google decided to replace it with Topics API<\/a>. So how does it work, and what does this change mean for Publishers?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:36px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"toc_container\"; style=\"background-color: fbd2da\">\n\n<fieldset style=\"background-color: #fbd2da; padding: 1;\"> \n\n<h4><strong>Table of contents<\/strong><\/h4><br>\n<p style=\"font-size: 17px;\">\n<u>\n<a href=\"#1\">All FloC&#8217;s problems<\/a><br>\n<a href=\"#2\">How does Topics API actually work and what are new elements?<\/a><br>\n<a href=\"#3\">What does the launch of the Topics API feature mean for Publishers?<\/a><br>\n<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n\n\n<\/fieldset>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:35px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"1\" style=\"font-size: 25px\"><strong>All FloC&#8217;s problems\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:31px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:17px\"><span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">The nature of the Privacy Sandbox has seen the evolution of solutions, and FloC was not the first interest-based targeting method proposed within its framework. Topics API addresses the FloC shortfall and will be a step in the right direction.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:18px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:17px\"><span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\"><strong>FloC has long been criticized for its:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\" style=\"font-size:17px\"><li><span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">Discriminatory practices as FLoC uses an unsupervised algorithm to create its clusters, which may lead some clusters to have a higher representation of sensitive characteristics (gender, ethnicity, age, income, etc., personality traits).<\/span><\/li><li><span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">Enabling of fingerprinting. Cohorts often consist of a few thousand people. Combine that with additional session\/browser variables, and it gives a great advantage in the identification of individual users.<\/span><\/li><li><span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">Cross-context exposure of cohort IDs with ones who already use identification enables reverse-engineering cohorts to browse history or at least estimate the probability of users visiting specific sites.<\/span><\/li><li><span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">Non-uptake by other browsers.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"2\" style=\"font-size: 25px\"><strong>How does Topics API actually work and what are new elements?\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:31px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:17px\"><span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">Like FloC, Topics API uses the browser to keep and manage information about the user&#8217;s interests. <strong>But instead of complicated cohorts\/ID graphs, it will use easy-to-understand categories, describing users\u2019 interests, such as Fitness, Travel, Automotive, etc.<\/strong> The full list of topics totals 350 in order to reduce the risk of fingerprinting. The list also excludes all categories considered as sensitive.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/yieldbird.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Topics-API-YIELDBIRD-1024x576.png\" alt=\"TOPICS API - A New Feature to Google\u2019s Privacy Sandbox\" class=\"wp-image-30695\" width=\"768\" height=\"432\" srcset=\"https:\/\/yieldbird.com\/research-hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Topics-API-YIELDBIRD-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/yieldbird.com\/research-hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Topics-API-YIELDBIRD-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/yieldbird.com\/research-hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Topics-API-YIELDBIRD-150x84.png 150w, https:\/\/yieldbird.com\/research-hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Topics-API-YIELDBIRD-768x432.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\" style=\"font-size:17px\"><li><span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">While browsing the web, the feature assigns several \u201ctopics\u201d depending on what content the user is consuming in a given week.<\/span><\/li><li><span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">When the user visits a page with ad slots supporting topics, the browser makes selected topics from the last 3 weeks available to advertising partners.<\/span><\/li><li><span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">The list of topics assigned to the user will change once a week &#8211; such a long interval is to help prevent extracting additional data by those using this API.<\/span><\/li><li><span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">Advertisers will be able to use them for targeting.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:17px\"><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">An important novelty is that the user will have access to the topics assigned to them at a given time in the browser settings. They will be able to view or delete the topics of their choice or disable the functionality entirely.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:17px\"><span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">Most likely the list of Topics categories will be found in Google buying systems and over time in other ad platforms as targeting options. We can also expect Prebid support for Topics in the near future just as FloC ID had. This would enable Prebid-connected SSPs to pass topics to their Advertisers and improve the addressability of the users for this channel.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:31px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:25px\"><span style=\"color:#ff2450\" class=\"has-inline-color\"><strong>Are you overwhelmed by the number of post-cookie solutions?<br>Check out our guide to the most important ones!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons alignwide is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-fill\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-text-color has-background\" href=\"https:\/\/yieldbird.com\/identity-guide\/\" style=\"border-radius:8px;background-color:#ff2450\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read the Identity Guide<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"3\" style=\"font-size: 25px\"><strong>What does the launch of the Topics API feature mean for Publishers?\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:28px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:17px\"><span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\"><strong>From the Publishers&#8217; point of view, the change from FLoC to Topics is still virtual, as both proposals remain in the testing phase. <\/strong>Not many supply chain participants have had the chance to explore its possibilities. We do not know their real effectiveness apart from Google&#8217;s declarations. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:17px\"><span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\"><strong>We will know more when Google rolls out Topics tests, especially within the EU region.<\/strong> It is possible that this is not the last word in terms of the solution. Google has addressed many of FloC&#8217;s problems, but ultimately the success of the new solution will depend on how it is accepted by the market and user uptake.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:38px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:40px\"><strong><span style=\"color:#ff2450\" class=\"has-inline-color\">LET&#8217;S GET IN TOUCH!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:23px\"><span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">Do you have any questions regarding third-party data withdrawal? <br>Feel free to contact us \u2013 our team will be more than happy to discuss it with you!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized is-style-rounded\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/yieldbird.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/piotrniedziela.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-30590\" width=\"268\" height=\"268\" srcset=\"https:\/\/yieldbird.com\/research-hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/piotrniedziela.jpg 300w, https:\/\/yieldbird.com\/research-hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/piotrniedziela-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 268px) 100vw, 268px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:18px\"><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">Piotr Niedziela<\/span><\/strong> <br>Ad Optimization Expert<br>publishers@yieldbird.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-contact-form-7-contact-form-selector\">\n<div class=\"wpcf7 no-js\" id=\"wpcf7-f26442-o1\" lang=\"en-US\" dir=\"ltr\" data-wpcf7-id=\"26442\">\n<div class=\"screen-reader-response\"><p role=\"status\" aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\"><\/p> <ul><\/ul><\/div>\n<form action=\"\/research-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30685#wpcf7-f26442-o1\" method=\"post\" class=\"wpcf7-form init\" aria-label=\"Contact form\" novalidate=\"novalidate\" data-status=\"init\">\n<fieldset class=\"hidden-fields-container\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7\" value=\"26442\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_version\" value=\"6.1.4\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_locale\" value=\"en_US\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_unit_tag\" value=\"wpcf7-f26442-o1\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_container_post\" value=\"0\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_posted_data_hash\" value=\"\" \/>\n<\/fieldset>\n<div class=\"form__box\">\n\t<p><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"your-name\"><input size=\"40\" maxlength=\"400\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text wpcf7-validates-as-required\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" placeholder=\"Your Name\" value=\"\" type=\"text\" name=\"your-name\" \/><\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"form__box\">\n\t<p><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"your-email\"><input size=\"40\" maxlength=\"400\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-email wpcf7-validates-as-required wpcf7-text wpcf7-validates-as-email\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" placeholder=\"Work Email Address\" value=\"\" type=\"email\" name=\"your-email\" \/><\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"form__box\">\n\t<p><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"messages\"><textarea cols=\"40\" rows=\"10\" maxlength=\"2000\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-textarea\" aria-invalid=\"false\" placeholder=\"Message\" name=\"messages\"><\/textarea><\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"form__box form__btns\">\n\t<p><input class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-submit has-spinner btn btn--primary\" type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" \/>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"wpcf7-response-output\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After the recently completed FLoC trial and the criticism of this solution by large swathes of the advertising market, developers, and EU lawmakers, Google decided to replace it with Topics API. So how does it work, and what does this change mean for Publishers? Table of contents All FloC&#8217;s problems How does Topics API actually [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":30689,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-30685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ad-tech"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yieldbird.com\/research-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30685","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yieldbird.com\/research-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yieldbird.com\/research-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yieldbird.com\/research-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yieldbird.com\/research-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30685"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/yieldbird.com\/research-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30685\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33309,"href":"https:\/\/yieldbird.com\/research-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30685\/revisions\/33309"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yieldbird.com\/research-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30689"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yieldbird.com\/research-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yieldbird.com\/research-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yieldbird.com\/research-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30685"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yieldbird.com\/research-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=30685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}