Digital
Google to roll out Tracking Protection feature
Mumbai: On 4 January, Google announced on their blog post that it will begin testing Tracking Protection, a new feature that limits cross-site tracking by restricting website access to third-party cookies by default, allowing marketers time to adapt before their complete removal by the end of the year.
They will roll out this feature to one per cent of Chrome users globally, a key milestone according to them in the Privacy Sandbox initiative to phase out third-party cookies for everyone in the second half of 2024, subject to addressing any remaining competition concerns from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority.
Third-party cookies have been a fundamental part of the web for nearly three decades. While they can be used to track your website activities, sites have also used them to support a range of online experiences — like helping viewers log in or showing relevant ads.
With this move, advertisers are likely to face challenges, especially in terms of conversions, as many third-party programmatic platforms heavily depend on cookies for data. Furthermore, programmatic platforms may seek to mitigate the impact by considering price hikes for their services. These shifts underscore the evolving landscape of digital advertising, posing challenges for advertisers and reshaping industry dynamics.
Lets see what the industry experts have to say whether this move is beneficial to the marketeers, digital players and how it will impact them…
Edited excerpts
TheSmallBigIdea lead- performance marketing Sharath Madhavan
Google’s Tracking Protection benefits users by enhancing privacy through limiting cross-site tracking. The main advantages include improved online security, reduced personalized ad targeting, and a potential decrease in intrusive online experiences.
Advertisers may face challenges with conversions due to the restriction on third-party cookies. This hampers the data flow crucial for personalized targeting, potentially impacting ad relevance. Advertisers may need to adapt strategies, focusing on first-party data and alternative targeting methods to mitigate the impact on programmatic platforms heavily reliant on cookies.
Efficacy Worldwide founder & CEO Vishnu Sharma
Google’s tracking protection is introduced to safeguard consumers online privacy while ensuring that they still receive personalized experiences. It involves various measures and technologies to limit the tracking of the online activities by third-party websites and advertisers. By implementing features like cookie controls, privacy settings, and restrictions on data sharing, Google aims to give users more control over their personal information. This way, consumers can browse the web with peace of mind, knowing that their privacy is being respected.
Content creator Akshat Tongia
Adapting to Google’s Tracking Protection marks an effective transition for digital influencers, presenting both challenges and benefits. Indeed, it could create hurdles in terms of conversions, particularly for those heavily reliant on cookie data. However, there’s a positive side – it encourages a more authentic connection with our audience.
Adjusting to this shift requires rethinking our approach. Instead of solely relying on data from third-party cookies, we now have an opportunity to prioritize creating high-quality content and fostering genuine connections.
The positive aspect is that this move guides us towards a more transparent and ethical digital space. It prompts us to tap into our creativity and storytelling skills, showcasing that we offer more than just data-driven content.
While the journey ahead might encounter some obstacles, consider it a chance to stand out. By delivering content that resonates authentically, we can build trust with our audience and thrive in this evolving digital landscape.
So, even though the initial adjustment might seem puzzling, the long-term benefits include a more resilient and trustworthy digital space. This shift is a chance for us to welcome change, innovate our strategies, and ultimately grow stronger as influencers. Let’s see it as a step towards progress and an opportunity to redefine the standards of digital influence in a more considerate era.
Digital
Sarvam AI launches Indus, India’s sovereign AI app
Government-backed beta brings 105B model to users
BENGALURU: India’s sovereign AI ambitions have moved from white papers to working product. Bengaluru-based Sarvam AI, founded by Vivek Raghavan and Pratyush Kumar, has opened limited beta access to Indus, a new conversational interface powered by its 105-billion-parameter sovereign model. The launch follows the company’s selection under the Government of India’s IndiaAI Mission to build a home-grown large language model.
For Sarvam, Indus is more than an app. It is proof of concept.
The company says its 105B model is smaller than the frontier systems that power global consumer chat platforms. That is by design. For now, the focus is on accuracy, efficiency and alignment with Indian contexts before scaling to larger foundational models. In other words, build steady, then build big.
True AI sovereignty, Sarvam argues, means owning the full stack. The first step was training foundational models from scratch in India. Indus is the next, giving India control over the data and interface layers as well.
Backed by the Centre, the project is positioned as part of the broader Atmanirbhar Bharat push. In a post on X, Sarvam said it is proud to have been selected to build India’s sovereign large language model, fluent in Indian languages, voice-enabled, capable of reasoning and ready for secure, population-scale deployment. The company thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior officials for their support.
Co-founder Pratyush Kumar struck a more rallying note. India, he wrote, must be a builder and not merely a consumer in this defining era of technology. Strategic autonomy starts now.
Indus is currently available in beta on iOS, Android and the web. Users can ask questions via text or voice and receive responses in both formats. Sign-in options include phone number, Google, Microsoft and Apple accounts. For now, access appears restricted to India.
There are early-stage wrinkles. Users cannot delete chat history without deleting their account. The reasoning feature cannot be switched off, which may slow responses at times. Compute capacity is limited, so new users may encounter a waitlist as access is gradually expanded.
Sarvam has made it clear that this is a work in progress. The company describes itself as being in listen mode, inviting feedback from developers, researchers, creators and everyday users. If sovereign AI is to mean anything, it says, it must be built with the country, not just for it.
The message is simple. Try Indus. Say what works. Say what does not. In the race for artificial intelligence, India is signalling it does not want to merely download the future. It wants to write it.
