The advertising cartel coming to your web browser

Meta, Google, Apple, and Mozilla are developing Attribution Level 1, a built-in advertising measurement system for web browsers. It tracks ad impressions to conversions, allowing advertisers to measure effectiveness without user consent or opt-out mechanisms. The system excludes privacy permissions like opt-out of sale or objections to processing. A two-track model is proposed: external ad features must comply with privacy regulations, while the browser's own tracking feature requires users to manually find and disable settings. This undermines user control and privacy, as no consent prompts are included. The system is advancing despite legal scrutiny, signaling a coordinated effort to standardize ad tracking across browsers.