Thread by @benadida

1/ Hello Google Friends: a few bits of feedback on this post.
blog.google/products/chrom…

2/ Put bluntly, there's a giant elephant in the room you're not acknowledging. Every other browser vendor is working on hard cookie blocking. You've got a conflict of interest about doing that very thing, and you don't even mention it.

3/ this concern for small publishers, when you don't acknowledge Google's own interests, sounds really hollow.

4/ and this idea that we have to take things slow and standardize because otherwise we wont be able to have targeted advertising that everyone loves so much.... What? Come on.

5/ when you want to be bold and move the Web, you're bold. You forced SSL on everyone, damn the consequences to small publishers who couldn't easily upgrade. I applauded you then. It was the right thing for users, damn the other consequences.

6/ you are taking steps to dramatically constrain chrome extensions, even if it breaks a number of use cases, again to protect users. I applaud you for this. It is the right thing for users, damn the other consequences.

7/ but here, when it comes to tracking and privacy, you want to take it slow, lest it disrupt the fragile ecosystem.... which just happens to be your bread and butter.

8/ and it leads you to really questionable claims. Ad networks will move to fingerprinting so we shouldn't block cookies? Come on. Of course they will, and of course we'll have to fight them on that turf too. Would you not patch an XSS because then attackers would turn to 0days?

9/ I get it, many of Google's billions depend on targeted advertising that depends on tracking. I realize this makes things tough. But please don't pretend that's not the issue. It's condescending.

10/ you already know change comes from bold action. Block the cookies. Fight the fingerprinting. If you want to create a new world of respectful advertising, there's nothing like creating a strong incentive to force that outcome.

11/ we're not going to gently transition to privacy-protecting advertising. We're going to be in an everlasting fight between privacy and targeted advertising. If you want to find a magical win-win, you're gonna have to kill, or at least greatly hamper, the golden goose first.

12/ or, you can say that that's not something your business model lets you do. I get it. But truly, honestly, from someone who admires Google for a lot of what you do, this blog post sounds hollow and weak.