all-in-one privacy solution":["Proton Unlimited es una solución de privacidad todo en uno"],"Black Friday":["Black Friday"],"No ads. Privacy by default.":["Sin publicidad. La privacidad por bandera."],"People before profits":["Nos importan las personas, no los beneficios"],"Security through transparency":["Seguridad con transparencia"],"The best Proton Mail ${ BLACK_FRIDAY } deals":["Las mejores ofertas del ${ BLACK_FRIDAY } de Proton Mail"],"The world’s only community- supported email service":["El único servicio de correo electrónico financiado la comunidad"]},"specialoffer:limited":{"${ hours } hour":["${ hours } hora","${ hours } horas"],"${ hoursLeft }, ${ minutesLeft } and ${ secondsLeft } left":["Tiempo restante: ${ hoursLeft }, ${ minutesLeft } y ${ secondsLeft }"],"${ minutes } minute":["${ minutes } minuto","${ minutes } minutos"],"${ seconds } second":["${ seconds } segundo","${ seconds } segundos"],"Limited time offer":["Oferta por tiempo limitado"]},"specialoffer:listitem":{"Create multiple addresses":["Crea varias direcciones"],"Hide-my-email aliases":["Alias de hide-my-email"],"Quickly unsubscribe from newsletters":["Date de baja rápidamente de boletines"],"Use your own domain name":["Usa tu propio nombre de dominio"]},"specialoffer:logos":{"As featured in":["Hablan de nosotros"]},"specialoffer:metadescription":{"Get an encrypted email that protects your privacy":["Apuesta por un servicio de correo electrónico cifrado que protege tu privacidad"]},"specialoffer:metatitle":{"Proton Mail Black Friday Sale - Up to 40% off":["Rebajas de Black Friday de Proton: hasta un 40 % de descuento"]},"specialoffer:newmetadescription":{"Get up to 40% off Proton Mail subscriptions this Black Friday. Find great deals on our secure end-to-end encrypted email plans.":["Contrata Proton Mail con hasta un 40 % de descuento en las rebajas de Black Friday. Encontrarás nuestros planes de correo electrónico cifrado de extremo a extremo al mejor precio."]},"specialoffer:newmetatitle":{"Proton Mail Black Friday sale | Up to 40% off secure email":["Rebajas de Black Friday en Proton Mail | Correo electrónico seguro con hasta un 40 % de descuento"]},"specialoffer:note":{"* Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first year":["* A un precio de ${ TOTAL_SUM } durante el primer año"],"*Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first 2 years":["*A un precio de ${ TOTAL_SUM } durante los 2 primeros años"],"30-day money-back guarantee":["Garantía de devolución de 30 días"],"Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first 2 years":["A un precio de ${ TOTAL_SUM } durante los 2 primeros años"],"Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first year":["A un precio de ${ TOTAL_SUM } durante el primer año"],"You save ${ SAVE_SUM }":["Ahorras ${ SAVE_SUM }"]},"specialoffer:off":{"${ PERCENT_OFF } off":["−${ PERCENT_OFF }"]},"specialoffer:testimonial":{"I love my ProtonMail":["Adoro ProtonMail"],"My favorite email service":["Mi servicio de correo electrónico favorito"],"Thanks Proton for keeping us all safe in the complicated internet universe.":["Gracias, Proton, por brindarnos protección en este mundo salvaje de Internet."],"You get what you pay for. In the case of big tech, if you pay nothing, you get used. I quit using Gmail and switched to @ProtonMail":["Dan justo lo que prometen. Si las grandes tecnológicas te ofrecen algo gratis, se aprovechan de ti, por eso dejé de usar Gmail y me pasé a @ProtonMail"]},"specialoffer:time":{"Days":["días"],"Hours":["horas"],"Min":["min"]},"specialoffer:title":{"And much more":["Y mucho más"],"Safe from trackers":["Evita los rastreadores"],"Stay organized":["Mantén el orden"],"Black Friday email deals":["Ofertas en correo electrónico del Black Friday"],"Don’t just take our word for it":["Lee testimonios de otras personas"],"Make your inbox yours":["Toma posesión de tu bandeja de entrada"],"Our story":["Nuestra historia"],"Transfer your data from Google in one click":["Transfiere tus datos de Google con un clic"]},"specialoffer:tooltip":{"Access blocked content and browse privately. Includes ${ TOTAL_VPN_SERVERS }+ servers in ${ TOTAL_VPN_COUNTRIES }+ countries, connect up to 10 devices, access worldwide streaming services, malware and ad-blocker, and more.":["Accede a contenido bloqueado y navega con privacidad. Incluye ${ TOTAL_VPN_SERVERS } servidores en más de ${ TOTAL_VPN_COUNTRIES } países. Conecta hasta 10 dispositivos, accede a servicios de streaming de todo el mundo, bloqueadores de malware y anuncios, etc."],"Easily share your calendar with your family, friends or colleagues, and view external calendars.":["Comparte tu calendario con familiares, amigos y compañeros fácilmente y consulta calendarios externos."],"Includes support for 1 custom email domain, 10 email addresses, 10 hide-my-email aliases, calendar sharing, and more.":["Incluye compatibilidad con 1 dominio de correo electrónico personalizado, 10 direcciones de correo electrónico, 10 alias de hide-my-email, posibilidad de compartir calendario, etc."],"Includes support for 3 custom email domains, 15 email addresses, unlimited hide-my-email aliases, calendar sharing, and more.":["Incluye compatibilidad con 3 dominios de correo electrónico personalizado, 15 direcciones de correo electrónico, alias ilimitados de hide-my-email, posibilidad de compartir calendario, etc."],"Manage up to 25 calendars, mobile apps, secured with end-to-end encryption, 1-click calendar import from Google, and more.":["Gestiona hasta 25 calendarios protegidos con cifrado de extremo a extremo y con opción, por ejemplo, de importar los de Google con un solo clic."]},"Status banner":{"Learn more":["Más información"],"Please note that at the moment we are experiencing issues with the ${ issues[0] } service.":["Ten presente que, en estos momentos, el servicio de ${ issues[0] } está dando problemas de funcionamiento."],"We are experiencing issues with one or more services at the moment.":["Uno o varios servicios están dando problemas de funcionamiento en estos momentos."]},"Status Banner":{"At the moment we are experiencing issues with the Proton VPN service":["Hay problemas con el servicio de Proton VPN en estos momentos"],"Learn more":["Más información"]},"steps":{"Step":["Paso"]},"suggestions":{"Suggestions":["Sugerencias"]},"Support":{"Sub category":["Subcategoría","Subcategorías"]},"Support article":{"${ readingTime } min":["${ readingTime } min","${ readingTime } min"],"Category":["Categoría","Categorías"],"Didn’t find what you were looking for?":["¿No has encontrado lo que buscabas?"],"General contact":["Contacto para consultas generales"],"Get help":["Obtener ayuda"],"Legal contact":["Contacto para cuestiones legales"],"Media contact":["Contacto para prensa y medios de comunicación"],"Partnerships contact":["Contacto para colaboraciones"],"Reading":["Lectura"]},"Support Form Platform option":{"VPN for Android TV":["VPN para Android TV"],"VPN for Apple TV":["VPN para Apple TV"],"VPN for Chromebook":["VPN para Chromebook"]},"Support troubleshooting":{"App version":["Versión de la aplicación"],"Browser":["Navegador"],"Check if this helps":["Comprueba a ver si te sirve"],"Choose a product":["Elegir producto"],"Did this solve your issue?":["¿Te ha resultado útil para resolver el problema?"],"Faster assistance is just a few clicks away":["Solo te separan unos clics de una asistencia más rápida"],"How can we help?":["¿Cómo podemos ayudarte?"],"No, contact support":["No, contactar con el equipo de asistencia"],"Please fill out one field after another":["Rellena un campo después de otro"],"Please make your selections":["Realiza tus selecciones"],"Proton account":["Cuenta de Proton"],"Proton for Business":["Proton for Business"],"Thank you for your feedback":["Gracias por tus comentarios"],"What can we help with?":["¿En qué podemos ayudarte?"],"Yes":["Sí"]},"support_modal_search_query":{"Search query":["Consulta de búsqueda"]},"support_search_button":{"Search":["Buscar"]},"support_search_i_am_looking_for":{"I'm looking for":["Busco"]},"SupportForm":{"For a faster resolution, please report the issue from the Bridge app: Help > Report a problem.":["Para una resolución más rápida, informa del problema desde la aplicación Bridge: Ayuda > Notificar un problema."],"Information":["Información"]},"SupportForm:option":{"Account Security":["Seguridad de la 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página"]},"tooltip_vpn":{"Access blocked content and browse privately. Includes ${ TOTAL_VPN_SERVERS }+ servers in ${ TOTAL_VPN_COUNTRIES }+ countries, highest VPN speed, ${ TOTAL_VPN_CONNECTIONS } VPN connections, worldwide streaming services, malware and ad-blocker, and more.":["Accede a contenido bloqueado y navega en privado. 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Google has made sure that 2023 will go down as the year of privacy washing. It introduced a new “ad privacy feature” for Chrome in September, and now it’s broadened the release of the beta version of Ad Topics for Android (both part of its misleadingly named Privacy Sandbox initiative). In both instances, Google sold a move to give itself total monopolistic control over the ability to spy on your activity as a “privacy feature”.
If your smartphone runs Android 13, you’ve likely seen this pop-up screen that touts Android has “new ways to limit what apps can learn about you”. Notice how it doesn’t say it will limit what Google can learn about you.
In fact, all Google has done is remove other organizations’ ability to see what you’re doing without consulting it, making it just another attempt by Google to redefine privacy as “No one can see your information — no one but us”.
How does Ad Topics on Android work?
Previously, Android devices allowed apps to share your information, including your device’s Android advertising ID, geographic location, device type, operating system, mobile carrier, keyboard language, and more, directly with third parties, such as advertisers and data brokers. In this system, the advertising ID is one of the most valuable bits of data because it’s persistent and allows third parties to build a profile on you by tracking your activity across different apps.
This system is obviously flawed for your privacy, as it’s difficult to know which apps share what information and with whom.
With its Ad Topics beta, Google is rebuilding the Android operating system to prevent these parties from being able to access this information directly. Instead, your Android device will now store your app activity locally. Then, Google — and only Google — aggregates and processes this information to assign you topics of interest based on the apps you use and your activity in them. Finally, third parties and apps go to Google and ask it which topic groups you’re in so they can show you targeted ads.
Google claims it anonymizes this data before sharing it with third parties. Ad Topics also groups you into interest groups rather than having Google track you individually, allowing it to do away with the advertising ID. It also allows you to exit any interest group you don’t want to be in. (You’d be within your rights to be skeptical of Google’s willingness to let you leave interest groups — just last year, Google settled a lawsuit(ventana nueva) over continuing to track Android users’ location even after they turned the feature off.)
But Google is still monitoring every app you open, what you do in them, and using that data to sell ads.
With Ad Topics, Google is using the pretext of privacy to box out the competition and keep all your data to itself.
To make matters worse, Google isn’t turning off its other tracking systems in Android. Ad Topics exists simultaneously with the previous system based on the Android advertising ID, and it’s up to apps to voluntarily opt in. This essentially means that you’re being monitored by two separate systems on your Android device, and according to a statement from 2022(ventana nueva), the earliest Google will shut down advertising IDs is sometime in 2024.
Can you turn off Ad Topics?
You might have noticed in the screenshot above that there was no Accept or Decline option, only a Got it button. If you tap “Got it”, it turns on app suggested ads and ad measurement. In true Google fashion, it nudges you toward the maximum amount of surveillance.
Fortunately, you can turn off Ad Topics — you simply need to dig through several layers of menus.
Not all Android will have Ad Topics enabled yet. The following directions are for a Google Pixel 7. Steps may vary, and menus may have different names on other Android devices.
Tap Settings (the gear icon).
Go to Security & privacy → More privacy settings → Ads → Ad privacy → Ad topics.
Tap the toggle switch next to Allow ad topics.
Google thinks your data belongs to it
Just like the Google VPN(ventana nueva) and the “ad privacy features” for Chrome that preceded it, the Ad Topics for Android is the embodiment of privacy washing. Google is disguising a calculated effort to get complete control of user data on Android devices as a privacy-protecting initiative, even though it’s not stopping any of its data collection. It’s misleading and an abuse of its status as a gatekeeper of the Android operating system.
If Google were truly concerned about your privacy, it wouldn’t replace one system of surveillance with another (or run two on your Android simultaneously). It would find a new way to bring in revenue that didn’t rely on monetizing its user base’s private information.
Unfortunately for us, Google as a business is entirely dependent on advertising. In 2022, Alphabet, Google’s parent company, made roughly $224.5 billion from advertising(ventana nueva), or almost 80% of its revenue. Even minimal attempts to introduce true privacy would fundamentally alter the company.
Google wants to have it both ways — it wants to appeal to the global privacy movement that only continues to grow without actually giving up any of its access to your information. Hence it dresses up new surveillance systems as privacy features.
For privacy to take root on the internet, we must reject these privacy-washing attempts.
Choose true privacy
We think the online surveillance that has permeated the internet is bad for democracy, a disaster for human rights, and makes us all easier to manipulate. Proton was founded to resist these exact types of surveillance systems.
We built end-to-end encrypted systems that put people in charge of what happens to their information and chose a business model that allows us to grow and thrive without monetizing our community’s information.