How the Protected Audience API works

Protected Audience allows advertisers to show relevant ads to people who've shown interest in their products or services, all while protecting user privacy.

Here's a simplified breakdown of how it works:

1. Interest group assignment: When you visit a website, the site owner can assign you to a pre-defined interest group based on your on-site behavior. For example, if you're browsing running shoes, you might be added to an interest group like "in-market for running shoes." These interest groups are anonymized and don't reveal your personal information.
2. Data protection and management: Your browser securely stores the assigned interest group information. This information is kept private and is not shared with advertisers or other websites.
3. Bidding on private signals: When you visit a website that displays ads, advertisers can bid on the chance to show you an ad. However, they only know that you belong to a particular interest group, not your individual identity or browsing history. This allows them to show you relevant ads without compromising your privacy.

Interest group assignment Site owners can assign visitors to pre-defined, anonymized interest groups based on on-site behavior, such as in-market for shoes.

Data protection and management The browser then stores the assigned interest group so that site owners can utilize it for use cases (like remarketing).

Bidding on private signals Marketers can then bid on the chance to reach a particular interest group, but not an identifiable person.

Imagine a conference where you attend sessions on topics you like. When you enter the "running shoes" session, the conference organizer notes your interest. Advertisers can then promote running gear to everyone in that session without knowing who's who. Even if you switch to a different session later, they can still reach the "running shoes" group, but they won't know it's you specifically.