Google is to launch advertising blocking software on its Android mobile phone operating system in a privacy crackdown that will prevent companies from tracking users around the internet.
The company said Android’s three billion users will eventually be able to limit what data can be shared as tech giants face growing pressure from customers and regulators to ensure privacy rules are observed.
Apple made a similar policy change last year that allowed its one billion users to control the sharing of personal information, making it more difficult for companies to determine if their ads on iPhones have been successful.
The move attracted fierce criticism from Facebook owner Meta which said it would cost it $10bn (£7.4bn) in lost revenue this year.
The proposed tools for the Android mobile operating system would limit app makers’ ability to share a person’s information with third parties, and ban data tracking across multiple applications.
A spokesman for Google said: “Our goal… is to develop effective and privacy enhancing advertising solutions, where users know their information is protected, and developers.”
Google has already faced criticism from advertisers over its earlier decision to eliminate tracking technology in its Chrome browser by the end of 2023.
Advertising sales make up more than 80pc of the income generated by Google parent Alphabet.
However, Google’s owner Alphabet said it would delay the rollout of ad-blocking software for at least two years in something of a reprieve for mobile advertisers.
It said: “We plan to support existing ads platform features for at least two years, and we intend to provide substantial notice ahead of any future changes.”
Targeted advertising remains a lucrative source of revenue of media companies. Android devices are assigned an identity that allows advertisers to build up a profile of the user’s habits and send them marketing about things they are likely to be interested in.
Facebook has said that users targeted in this way are eight times more likely to buy products.
When Apple’s iOS 14 technology was rolled out, apps had to ask permission to collect and share data, meaning advertisers are no longer able to follow users as they move from app to app.
In the wake of the move, advertising company Blis said that the cost of adverts had dropped by 11pc in cases where users had blocked companies from tracking their activity across different apps.
Google suggested on Wednesday that its ad-blocking technology may not hit advertisers as hard as Apple’s changes had done.
“We realise that other platforms have taken a different approach to ads privacy, bluntly restricting existing technologies used by developers and advertisers,” Google said.
