Understanding Google’s FLoC replacement Topics, and its unanswered questions

In preparation for life after the third-party cookie, Google is now pitching Topics as an upgrade on the much-maligned FloC (Federated Learning of Cohorts). Topics works by identifying five topics that represent a person’s interests for that week based on their browsing history. Less is revealed — the topics are controlled and the sharing of them is more restricted, it has claimed. How that translates into a utility for advertisers and publishers is anyone’s guess currently as Google’s initial reveal is light on details. Read more below.

• While privacy advocates are saying Topics doesn't go far enough, advertisers may think this won't be targeted enough.
• For Digiday+ members, this week’s Media Briefing looks at how publishers are discussing content syndication opportunities with retailers that could help to address advertisers’ retail media pain points.
• Microsoft's ad revenues hit $10 billion in the same year it spent big on ad tech. What exactly does it have in store for Xandr?
• The Rundown: Horizon Media's trends report touches on areas such as digital privacy, contactless living, environmental goals, and the need for downtime.
• Publishers like Quartz and BuzzFeed are using hoteling software to manage employees who are coming in to work from the office.
• The Confessions: To combat burnout, employers across the industry have rolled out numerous policies. Still, employees say intense workloads continue to push them to the limit.