WordPress recently discussed a proposal to block Google’s new user tracking scheme called FLoC. While most expressed support, others raised valid concerns. It’s important to note that no decision has been made to block FLoC, and discussions will continue in the official WordPress Slack channel.
UPDATE: Matt Mullenweg Says No Decision Has Been Made
There have been many articles inaccurately stating that WordPress was blocking FLoC.
As initially reported, WordPress has not made a decision. Matt Mullenweg tweeted a statement confirming that no decision has been made.
Contrary to headlines, "WordPress" hasn’t made any decisions or changes yet with regards to #FLoC. It is more correct to say there is a proposal from a WP contributor to block FLoC by default. – Matt Mullenweg (@photomatt), April 19, 2021
Google FLoC
Third-party cookies, which have allowed advertisers to track user interests, are being phased out as many browsers are now blocking them automatically. In response, Google has introduced Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC), a new way to track users. FLoC is an anonymous method that assigns interests to users based on their browsing patterns, grouping users into interest buckets.
Competitors and Privacy Groups React with Alarm
The introduction of FLoC has sparked concern among privacy groups and competitors. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has criticized it as a "terrible idea." Competitors like Brave, DuckDuckGo, and Vivaldi have also taken measures to block FLoC, describing it as "nasty," enabling "discrimination," and being a "dangerous step that harms user privacy." Developers have already published two plugins for WordPress to block FLoC.
Discussions at WordPress to Block FLoC
Although no firm decision has been made, the official WordPress core developers are discussing a proposal to block FLoC. Some in the developer community have raised concerns about applying FLoC blocking to older WordPress versions, warning it might undermine trust.
“Love the feature idea, it will need work. Practically it won’t be easy to back port, it has potential to damage the trust in automatic updates.”
Others suggested treating FLoC as a security update but emphasized the need for a clear explanation for users.
“It makes sense to treat it as a security matter. And, in principle, I agree with @roytanck that it should add the opt-out header by default, but seeing there is (kinda) a tradition in WordPress to let the user decide and if it is not opt-out by default, WP should highlight this issue and present it in a very clear noticeable… notice when the update is released and a very clear help message in the settings pages in future versions.”
Concerns were also raised about blocking FLoC while historically ignoring third-party cookies.
“Where do we draw the line at what WordPress should be blocking in core for privacy? Should WordPress block ALL third-party tracking cookies like Facebook too?”
Later discussions suggested that concerns over FLoC might be better addressed on an individual basis rather than by WordPress as a whole.
“This sounds like an individual privacy concern, and not something that WordPress – as a neutral publishing platform that can be used to share whatever where ever you want, should take a stance on. WordPress doesn’t block other forms of browser tracking; why should this be any different? WordPress allows you to use an unscrupulous ad provider on your site, but importantly it doesn’t prevent you from using it either.”
WordPress Proposal on FLoC
Changes to WordPress come from community discussions, beginning with proposals which are not always implemented. Claims that WordPress has made a decision to block FLoC may be misinformation or clickbait. There are technical issues to resolve, such as whether FLoC is a security issue, if it should be backported to earlier WordPress versions, and whether it’s appropriate for WordPress to take a stance against FLoC.
Despite these complexities, blocking FLoC has significant support within the core developer group and the broader WordPress developer community.
How to disable FLoC in @WordPress – Jon Henshaw, April 18, 2021
Citations
WordPress Proposal Discussion
Proposal: Treat FLoC as a security concern
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Google’s FLoC Is a Terrible Idea
Brave Browser Blocks FLoC
DuckDuckGo Publishes a Browser Extension to Block FLoC
Vivaldi Browser Rejects FLoC
