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A missing factoid via the corresponding WSJ article: http://www.wsj.com/articles/adblock-plus-is-launching-an-ad-exchange-1473768022 http://www.wsj.com/article

A missing factoid via the corresponding WSJ article: http://www.wsj.com/articles/adblock-plus-is-launching-an-ad-exchange-1473768022 http://www.wsj.com/articles/adblock-plus-is-launching-an-ad-... "Advertisers will not be able to target ads via the Acceptable Ads Platform using the granular behavioral data many have become accustomed too, however, to preserve user privacy and security. Rather, they’ll have a limited set of information with which to target their ads, including the domain on which an ad would appear; the device, browser and operating system on which it’s being loaded; and the geographical location it’s being loaded from." OK, so the "limited" set of information is already 5 pieces of information, and without specifics about the geographical location I am going to assume it can vary on any scale determined and changed by ABP at their discretion. In combination this is very likely to be a UUID for a vast majority of people (sorry, I don't have a reference, but that is what I have read somewhere). More pertinently, I have a vague feeling that this combination is enough for retargeting (people in adtech, please give us your input). Folks are mentioning uBlock Origin. But there is tremendous pressure from online publishers, who I expect are soon going to turn this into a game of Whack-a-Blocker.

ilikepi 10y ago
> OK, so the "limited" set of information is already 5 pieces of information... Ehh...it'll probably be the useragent string and the result of geocoding the client IP address. This is fairly narrow (especially for obscure and/or out-of-date browsers), but I think calling it "unique" might be a stretch. I guess it would be highly dependent on the population of your city or town and on the popularity of the site itself. I might be one of just a handful of people who reads HN while laying in my bed at night on an iPhone 6S, but I'd expect quite a few people in a major metro area are hitting big media sites from Chrome on Windows. EDIT: trivial wording tweak
- yellow_postit 10y ago
  If it starts including things like display size, device, etc. then you get into the realm of browser fingerprinting which while maybe not truly unique does start to narrow the pool quite a bit: https://panopticlick.eff.org/about#browser-fingerprinting https://panopticlick.eff.org/about#browser-fingerprinting
- thr0waway1239 10y ago
  This is what I used to think, but the diversity of the devices in the developing countries (for example) adds more specifics. Even in countries where there is a lot more homogeneity of devices - you mention HN for example, but if I install ABP on my device and visit multiple sites using the browser, remember that the list of sites is another little trail of breadcrumbs. That could only become significant if the advertisers themselves share this data amongst themselves and combine it with user-agent + geocoded address, but you can count on a service which will pop up to facilitate exactly that (assuming one doesn't already exist). Not to mention, what if these ad networks consolidate at some point in the future?
sliverstorm 10y ago
Aren't those somewhat indispensable pieces of technical info though? - what language do they speak - what regional market do they shop in - what is the compatibility of their client browser to render your ad
- thr0waway1239 10y ago
  Your comment actually sent me on a bit of a wild goose chase trying to see where exactly ABP folks talk about the statement I quoted from WSJ. I couldn't find anything relevant. For now, I am going to assume that WSJ is correct and either got this information from someone other than ABP, or they know more than what has already been announced. Ignoring massive news sites who are probably not that concerned about the devaluation of their content, ABP is really pushing this solution as a boon for small blogs and medium sized publishers [1]: "Looking ahead, the chief improvements the AAP will offer are its feedback mechanism, the way that mechanism will turn real-time bidding (RTB) on its head and how the AAP will be an especial boon to small blogs and medium-sized publishers." Let us just consider the relationship between ad profitability and how much data is indispensable: is the issue actually poorly solved BECAUSE people have been taking tracking for granted (including the readers)? What about using all the content on the website for better ads? Sure, it would be REALLY lucrative if you, the site publisher, could also show an ad for a product I just browsed on Amazon.com, but it is also super creepy and at some point devalues your site in my eyes. I really wish we could hear from someone who has built an ad network which helps small publishers. [1] https://adblockplus.org/blog/new-acceptable-ads-platform-launches-bringing-feedback-to-rtb-and-help-to-small-websites https://adblockplus.org/blog/new-acceptable-ads-platform-lau...

ilikepi 10y ago

> OK, so the "limited" set of information is already 5 pieces of information... Ehh...it'll probably be the useragent string and the result of geocoding the client IP address. This is fairly narrow (especially for obscure and/or out-of-date browsers), but I think calling it "unique" might be a stretch. I guess it would be highly dependent on the population of your city or town and on the popularity of the site itself. I might be one of just a handful of people who reads HN while laying in my bed at night on an iPhone 6S, but I'd expect quite a few people in a major metro area are hitting big media sites from Chrome on Windows. EDIT: trivial wording tweak

yellow_postit 10y ago
If it starts including things like display size, device, etc. then you get into the realm of browser fingerprinting which while maybe not truly unique does start to narrow the pool quite a bit: https://panopticlick.eff.org/about#browser-fingerprinting https://panopticlick.eff.org/about#browser-fingerprinting
thr0waway1239 10y ago
This is what I used to think, but the diversity of the devices in the developing countries (for example) adds more specifics. Even in countries where there is a lot more homogeneity of devices - you mention HN for example, but if I install ABP on my device and visit multiple sites using the browser, remember that the list of sites is another little trail of breadcrumbs. That could only become significant if the advertisers themselves share this data amongst themselves and combine it with user-agent + geocoded address, but you can count on a service which will pop up to facilitate exactly that (assuming one doesn't already exist). Not to mention, what if these ad networks consolidate at some point in the future?

sliverstorm 10y ago

Aren't those somewhat indispensable pieces of technical info though? - what language do they speak - what regional market do they shop in - what is the compatibility of their client browser to render your ad

thr0waway1239 10y ago
Your comment actually sent me on a bit of a wild goose chase trying to see where exactly ABP folks talk about the statement I quoted from WSJ. I couldn't find anything relevant. For now, I am going to assume that WSJ is correct and either got this information from someone other than ABP, or they know more than what has already been announced. Ignoring massive news sites who are probably not that concerned about the devaluation of their content, ABP is really pushing this solution as a boon for small blogs and medium sized publishers [1]: "Looking ahead, the chief improvements the AAP will offer are its feedback mechanism, the way that mechanism will turn real-time bidding (RTB) on its head and how the AAP will be an especial boon to small blogs and medium-sized publishers." Let us just consider the relationship between ad profitability and how much data is indispensable: is the issue actually poorly solved BECAUSE people have been taking tracking for granted (including the readers)? What about using all the content on the website for better ads? Sure, it would be REALLY lucrative if you, the site publisher, could also show an ad for a product I just browsed on Amazon.com, but it is also super creepy and at some point devalues your site in my eyes. I really wish we could hear from someone who has built an ad network which helps small publishers. [1] https://adblockplus.org/blog/new-acceptable-ads-platform-launches-bringing-feedback-to-rtb-and-help-to-small-websites https://adblockplus.org/blog/new-acceptable-ads-platform-lau...