The Interests API would let browsers infer what people are interested in and, when those people give permission, share that information with Web sites that could tailor content or ads accordingly. July 25, 2013 8:30 AM PDT Harvey Anderson, Mozilla's SVP of business and legal affairs (Credit: Mozilla) Mozilla has tangled with advertisers, for example making it harder for Web sites to use tracking files called cookies and supporting do-not-track effort to curtail online behavior tracking. But today, it announced an effort that could make advertisers happier. The non-profit organization announced an interface that Web sites could use to slurp up information about a user's interests. The idea is to let Web sites customize content and ads according to a user's behavior, but to keep the user in control over what gets shared rather than rely on today's online behavior tracking methods. Related stories Geeksphone now selling Firefox OS to consumers with Peak+ Geeksphone to bring Firefox OS to consumer market with Peak+ Mozilla fleshes out Firefox OS simulator features The Interests API would assess users' interests automatically. But this being Mozilla we're talking about here, an organization whose mission is to keep people in charge of their own experience as they use Web, so of course the proposal gives user the decision about when to share or not. Here's how Mozilla Labs product manager Juston Scott described the idea on the Mozilla Labs blog on Thursday: Let's say Firefox recognizes within the browser client, without any browsing history leaving my computer, that I'm interested in gadgets, comedy films, hockey and cooking. As I browse around the Web, I could choose when to share those interests with specific websites for a personalized experience. Those websites could then prioritize articles on the latest gadgets and make hockey scores more visible. Destinations like the Firefox Marketplace could recommend recipe and movie apps, even if it's my first time visiting that site. The technology is geared to help Web publishers, added Harvey Anderson, Mozilla's senior vice president of business and legal affairs, in a separate blog post. "We want this ecosystem of content creators and service providers to flourish at all levels," he said. "The challenge is that today, the trade-off for users is often implicit and unclear, and few people really understand the value proposition behind the free content and services that they consume." The idea is still in the experimentation phase, but Mozilla has run the ideas past Internet users, publishers, brands, advertising technology companies, developers, and privacy advocates. "The responses so far suggest that the ecosystem would welcome better intent and interest signals combined with active user participation," Anderson said.
The Interests API would let browsers infer what people are interested in and, when those people give permission, share that information with Web sites that could tailor content or ads accordingly.
Harvey Anderson, Mozilla's SVP of business and legal affairs
(Credit: Mozilla)
Mozilla has tangled with advertisers, for example making it harder for Web sites to use tracking files called cookies and supporting do-not-track effort to curtail online behavior tracking. But today, it announced an effort that could make advertisers happier.
The non-profit organization announced an interface that Web sites could use to slurp up information about a user's interests. The idea is to let Web sites customize content and ads according to a user's behavior, but to keep the user in control over what gets shared rather than rely on today's online behavior tracking methods.
Related stories
- Geeksphone now selling Firefox OS to consumers with Peak+
- Geeksphone to bring Firefox OS to consumer market with Peak+
- Mozilla fleshes out Firefox OS simulator features
The Interests API would assess users' interests automatically. But this being Mozilla we're talking about here, an organization whose mission is to keep people in charge of their own experience as they use Web, so of course the proposal gives user the decision about when to share or not.
Here's how Mozilla Labs product manager Juston Scott described the idea on the Mozilla Labs blog on Thursday:
Let's say Firefox recognizes within the browser client, without any browsing history leaving my computer, that I'm interested in gadgets, comedy films, hockey and cooking. As I browse around the Web, I could choose when to share those interests with specific websites for a personalized experience. Those websites could then prioritize articles on the latest gadgets and make hockey scores more visible. Destinations like the Firefox Marketplace could recommend recipe and movie apps, even if it's my first time visiting that site.
The technology is geared to help Web publishers, added Harvey Anderson, Mozilla's senior vice president of business and legal affairs, in a separate blog post.
"We want this ecosystem of content creators and service providers to flourish at all levels," he said. "The challenge is that today, the trade-off for users is often implicit and unclear, and few people really understand the value proposition behind the free content and services that they consume."
The idea is still in the experimentation phase, but Mozilla has run the ideas past Internet users, publishers, brands, advertising technology companies, developers, and privacy advocates. "The responses so far suggest that the ecosystem would welcome better intent and interest signals combined with active user participation," Anderson said.
