Google AdSense To Test Chrome’s Topics API

Google announced that starting July 1, 2022, Google AdSense will begin testing the Chrome’s Topics API for ad requests on a “small percentage of traffic.” The Topics API was announced early year as a replacement for the flopped FLoC Google cookie replacement.

The Topics API is Google’s latest replacement for third-party cookies and aims to create a privacy-focused, interest-based advertising model, which Google failed to do with FLoC. The Topics API proposes a way to provide topics that a user might currently be interested in, based on their recent browsing activity. These topics can supplement contextual information to help select appropriate advertisements.

AdSense will start using them as a test on a small sample of ad requests next month. Google said “This initial test is to validate that our systems are operating as designed, and no revenue or performance impact is expected.”

You can opt out of Topics testing in Google AdSense, you can do so using Chrome’s Permissions-policy header.

So just a heads up for those of you who still use AdSense to monetize your sites.

Forum discussion at Twitter.