Before Privacy Sandbox, reporting on Android often involved sharing detailed user data with various parties, which can raise privacy concerns and limit transparency. The Protected Audience API introduces a more privacy-preserving approach to reporting on Android.
Here’s how it’s different:
- Limited data access: The API limits the amount of user data that ad tech platforms can access, reducing the risk of sensitive information being shared.
- On-device aggregation: Reporting data is aggregated on the device itself before being sent to ad tech platforms. This minimizes the risk of exposing sensitive user information.
- Privacy-preserving APIs for attribution: Android leverages privacy-preserving APIs, like the Attribution Reporting API, to provide insights into ad performance without compromising user privacy.
For example, an ad tech platform might provide aggregated reports to advertisers on the performance of their campaigns on Android, showing metrics like the number of impressions, clicks, and conversions attributed to specific interest groups. However, these reports would not include any personally identifiable information about individual users.
For more technical information about reporting on Android, refer to the developer documentation. Or, learn about reporting for Protected Audience API auctions on the web.