“Through proxies”
Recognizing the potential misuse of IP addresses for covert tracking, Google seeks to strike a balance between ensuring users’ privacy and the essential functionalities of the web. IP addresses allow websites and online services to track activities across websites, thereby facilitating the creation of persistent user profiles. This poses significant privacy concerns.
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The “IP Protection” solution addresses this … by routing third-party traffic from specific domains through proxies. … As many online services utilize GeoIP to determine a users location for offering services, Google plans on assigning IP addresses to proxy connections that represent a “coarse” location of a user rather than their specific location.

“Opt into the program”
Unlike cookies, your browser can’t block requests for your IP address. It’s a fundamental part of the way the internet works. … It’s similar to everyone sharing a single landline at a residence. Individuals using the line might have unique names, but anyone tracing a call will only see the address the line is tied to. That’s then used to track habits and interests.
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At the start, IP Protection will only work for specific domains, then expand to include more domains and protection from cross-site tracking. … It’ll first roll out to US users, and you’ll have to both be logged in and opt into the program. … The initial phase of this feature … will be tested between Chrome versions 119 and 125.

“Promote industry accountability”
Browsers are moving against cross-site tracking. For Chrome, this includes phasing out third-party cookies and limiting fingerprinting, while ensuring the web stays healthy and vibrant. One way to limit fingerprinting is by limiting sources of identifiable information such as IP addresses.
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Chrome will work with the ecosystem to help preserve privacy while not breaking key uses on the web. … Long term solutions will evolve and will be shaped in conjunction with the ecosystem. … By creating transparency around the use of IP addresses, we hope to promote industry accountability regarding how IP addresses are accessed and used in the web ecosystem.

Having your IP hidden from everyone except Google must be wonderful for privacy. It’s not like this is one of the single biggest, most abusively intrusive tech corporations in the world for pathologically surveilling everything you do, at all costs, no matter how much they try to paint their solutions as being in the name of security and privacy.
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That anyone would take seriously any fundamental privacy protection solution from Google is laughable. … A company like this simply does not deliver a free bonus of genuine anonymity.

I am old and cynical—and all I see is an attempt by Google to protect their own tracking by hiding it behind their anti-tracking protection. I do not trust Google.
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A tip for Google: Before making huge changes, build Trust.

Given that this is Google we’re talking about, you can absolutely guarantee that this new change is designed 100% for Google’s benefit, minimally for the end-user’s benefit, and 100% for the detriment of their competition. They don’t have to collude with anyone because they have set it up so they see everything anyways.
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Every feature that Google introduces or change that Google has proposed to any standard, has all been driven by Google’s desire to own the entire internet, just so they can shove ads down your throat. A Google-less internet would be infinitely better for everyone.

I want to do this … but sometimes I already struggle figuring things out after a software update. [I] want to generally divorce myself from a company that used to say “Don’t be evil.”

This is not about the privacy of users. This is about selling your internet history to advertisers. All kinds of VPN providers are monetizing that now. Googles of the world are losing money.

I would literally rather **** upwind in a hurricane than enable this.

Don’t let those evil bastards on the internet track you! Let our evil bastards track you instead.

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