Google, like other internet giants, makes its money from online advertising. So it must pander to advertisers—assuring them their ads are working—and consumers, convincing them that the personal data used to serve targeted ads aren't violating their privacy.
The latest attempt to address the needs of both groups is rolling out this week. Called Google Attribution, it will let marketers track the success of their ad campaigns online and in brick-and-mortar stores, thanks to Google's recently developed capability to identify purchases that consumers make with their physical credit or debit cards.
Google now plans to use artificial intelligence algorithms to augment the credit card transaction data to which it already has access, allowing advertisers to determine how much in-store revenue can be attributed to their online ad campaigns.
For an example of why such an ability is catnip to advertisers, consider the UK-based Holidays division of Richard Branson's Virgin empire. Google said Virgin Holidays has determined that a customer who purchases something in a physical store after clicking on an ad appearing in Google search results is three times more profitable than a customer who buys something online.
For consumers, the prospect of Google extending its data dragnet into physical stores is worrisome, especially since there's no ad blocker you can activate while you're standing at the cash register. (You could, of course, just use cash). Thanks to third-party vendors, Google said it's able to capture approximately 70 percent of credit and debit card transactions in the United States, and there doesn't appear to be a straightforward way to opt out.
Related
- Google Tweaks Ad Policy After Uproar Over Offensive ContentGoogle Tweaks Ad Policy After Uproar Over Offensive Content
But Google's early motto was "don't be evil," and the company apparently still takes that to heart. It plans to encrypt the data it gathers from physical stores to keep them safe from hackers, as well as subject them to its privacy policy.
"While we developed the concept for this product years ago, it required years of effort to develop a solution that could meet our stringent user privacy requirements," Google said in a statement to the Washington Post. "To accomplish this, we developed a new, custom encryption technology that ensures users' data remains private, secure, and anonymous."
Still, when ad revenue is on the line, even Google has shown that is willing to modify its privacy rules. Last fall, for example, the company added a line to its privacy policy that allows it to deliver targeted ads to people using their browsing history from across the Google ecosystem.
MailChimp, one of the best email marketing companies, just made life easier for multi-channel marketers hawking visually compelling products.
You might not have to register your DJI drone with the government, but rules still apply.
Even the smallest businesses can benefit from an online accounting service. Here are five top performers that will do what you need without costing a fortune.
Persistent people who seek creative freedom often crave entrepreneurship.
Relax Whether You Buy Online or In-Store, Google Will Know stories
You can now create a family group with up to six members of your household to easily share calendar info, photos and videos, to-do lists, and notes with everyone.
Google's $5,000 collaborative and smart digital whiteboard is now available to buy.
An algorithm developed by Google's sister company DeepMind is once again taking on human opponents in the ancient Chinese strategy game of Go.
Google I/O 2017 was a continued transformation of the company, from machine learning to greater control of Android. Here's what we learned at the show.
An update, which can even be delivered via Wi-Fi if your car supports it, will bring the latest car software from Google and Apple to more Ford owners.
Redesigned emojis that more closely resemble the circular smily faces you're used to will launch with the Android O operating system.
You may see a notice informing you about the recent privacy policy changes the next time you visit the microblogging service, if you haven't seen it already.
Google pulled back the curtain on both visible and behind-the-scenes improvements to its next mobile OS, Android O.
The new Daydream headsets, which go on sale this fall, won't require smartphones and will offer built-in position tracking.
iPhone users can now say 'OK, Google' to get access to an expanded Assistant feature set. Meanwhile, Google Home gets voice calls and more.
Thousands of software and hardware developers will descend on the Googleplex to hear about the company's latest products. Here's what they might be.
Facebook pushed back on the report, but also admitted its research didn't follow the 'established process to review the research we perform.'
The practice of intercepting messages between Americans and foreigners that mention a terrorism suspect will end.
In the US, most requests come from search warrants and other court orders, although some are made using secret "national security letters."
The 30-day reporting window is history.
The Million Dollar Homepage is a successful gimmick that proves success has no formula.
A lawsuit filed yesterday in the Southern District of New York claims that the Windows version of Confide doesn't offer screenshot protection.
A class-action lawsuit claims Bose secretly collects and records all content played through their Bose wireless headphones, and shares this data with third-parties without consent.
Your Timeline offers a 'daily snapshot' of the things you've done and the places you've been on a given day, month, or year.
It's good to make a social statement, but if you're going to do it, make sure you do it right.
If you order online, but opt to pick up your items from a local store, Walmart will lower the price.
The company is investigating a report that data for payment cards used at Gamestop.com has shown up for sale online.
A security researcher demonstrated an exploit that uses digital terrestrial TV signals to implant malicious code in the web browsers of smart TVs.
Advertisers will only pay HTC when a user looks at an advert in a virtual reality environment.
Recent Congressional action to overturn FCC rules on data sharing won't impact internet users' privacy, ISP executives say.
The rule requires ISPs to get consent before they sell sensitive consumer data. Republican Senators and FCC members say it's unnecessary and harmful to ISPs.
AT&T and Verizon are no longer advertising on Google's video platform after discovering their ads may have appeared next to horrible, offensive content.
Rather than walk around a store, a drone will collect what you want and fly it across the store ready for collection.
Google said it could do better to ensure that its advertisers' content doesn't appear alongside videos with extremist and other objectionable content.
With this new integration, you'll be able to use Alexa wherever you are to access thousands of skills, get answers to your pressing questions, and more — all with your voice.
Republicans back a plan to fill your voicemail inbox with advertisements without your consent.
Thanks to mobile gigabit, your phone’s internet connection could be faster than fiber by the end of the year.
DJI's tiny new Spark drone weighs less than a soda and can be controlled with your hands.
Russia thinks that Microsoft's products aren't secure enough, so it'll build its own Skype-esque communications platform.
15 years after the franchise started, gamers can finally fight as a woman online.
You can now create a family group with up to six members of your household to easily share calendar info, photos and videos, to-do lists, and notes with everyone.
Apple's full-year Swift courses for high school and community college students will help it feed the app machine.
The Skirball Cultural Center's 'Paul Simon: Words and Music' exhibit in LA lets you create tunes like the music legend.
Forget the hype, because you won't want anything to do with the new Nokia 3310.
It received a cease-and-desist notice for the "confusingly similar" Comcastroturf.com.