Munich-based browser startup Cliqz has launched a new form of advertising to monetize its products. A key technical difference from the competition gives users control over their data.
The Cliqz browser aims to offer an alternative to the market leaders from Google, Microsoft, and Mozilla. The anti-tracking plugin Ghostery is also part of the company, founded in 2008. In May 2013, Hubert Burda Media acquired a majority stake. Mozilla joined in August 2016.
Under the name MyOffrz Cliqz has now launched an advertising platform where users retain control over their data. For traditional targeting, i.e., the individual presentation of online advertising, advertising companies collect data about users and their interests. This data is stored and processed on remote servers. Cliqz, on the other hand, stores advertising-relevant data exclusively locally on the user's computer. For example, if a user researches a product online, this information is stored in the browser. The browser then decides which targeted advertising to display.
“A real paradigm shift”
What sounds like a technical detail makes a crucial difference from a data protection perspective: Cliqz users can completely delete the data stored about them at any time; no copies exist on other computers. Jean-Paul Schmetz, founder and CEO of Cliqz, says:
"The shift of targeting logic from the server side to the customer's device is a true paradigm shift. The data remains in the possession and control of the users, yet targeting-based business models are still possible. With our innovation, we have proven that individualized consumer communication and privacy are by no means mutually exclusive. No one can claim anymore that internet companies need to know as much as possible about their users in order to offer them relevant services."
Against the background of existing uncertainty regarding the relatively new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) The Cliqz solution could also be of interest to advertising clients. According to the company, MyOffrz is "certainly GDPR-compliant and also absolutely future-proof with regard to the upcoming ePrivacy regulation." MyOffrz's pilot customers include MyToys, Toyota, Cyberport, HUK24, Flaconi, and Telekom, as well as numerous agencies.
