I have been reading up on Chrome’s new Topics API and FLoC. Can someone explain to me why it is bad? Do the negatives of FLoC also apply to Federated Learning? (I’m not saying that FLoC is good, I’m just confused.)

  • mvirts@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Federated learning as a machine learning topic is unrelated to floc afaict.

    The issue I have with things like FloC and the topics API are that they are attempts to keep the cash flowing at Google before disabling 3rd party cookies, when it seems obvious that the time to disable 3rd party cookies is now.

    • tester1121@lemmy.worldOP
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      11 months ago

      So the features on my Pixel that use federated learning don’t share the same privacy risks as FLoC?

      • mvirts@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        I think not? I’m sure it still comes with some privacy risks, plus your phone is using power you paid for to train models owned by someone else I believe. What features are you thinking of? Lol I use a pixel as well