The Brave browser introduced a new feature called De-AMP that allows users to bypass Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) technology so they can load websites instantly, DuckDuckGo followed.
AMP is a technology that is now several years old. She was introduced in 2015 and enabled Google to accelerate the transition of websites around the world to mobile. Specifically, this is a technology that makes it possible to provide a mobile-friendly experience with an interface designed for the small screens of our smartphones and web pages that load much faster for small connections.
This technology is very fast and massively widespread because Google has marked AMP-compatible web pages in its search engine (which is no longer necessarily the case now). You can test AMP on Frandroid very easily by simply adding /amp according to the web addresses of our articles. You will see that the display of the pages is different: it is simplified and advertising is integrated differently. The importance of Google is mainly to be able to show advertisements in a better environment.
Brave has decided to disable AMP by default, the publisher states in an article that this technology ” harmful to privacy ” and “helps Google to monopolize and control more web directionDuckDuckGo has also made the decision to disable AMP in its browser, for all versions. This means that the web pages you load will no longer be loaded in AMP on these alternative web browsers†
AMP technology is bad for privacy because it allows Google to track users even more (which is already a ton).
And Google is using AMP to further strengthen its monopoly and push the technology on publishers by prioritizing AMP links in search results and favoring Google ads on AMP pages.
— DuckDuckGo (@DuckDuckGo) Apr 19, 2022
Why is AMP criticized?
One of the problems with technologyAccelerated Mobile Pagesis that content created with AMP is usually served through a cache on Google’s server rather than actually linked to the publisher’s server. For example, by loading an article from a media site, you load the page from Google’s servers. It also means you’re more likely to see Google ads. AMP has been a way to promote Google’s advertising technologies.
Another problem: Because AMP is a stripped-down version of your original content, you’re at the mercy of Google for how your content actually appears. In general, you give up the general design of your page in exchange for a very fast download. Why ? Simply because AMP tools explicitly limit developers’ ability to precisely reduce the size of web pages and thus their loading.
†An ethical web should be a user-centric web, where users have control over their browsing and know who they are communicating with. AMP is not compatible with a user-oriented web. De-AMP joins Brave’s long list of features that will put users first on the webBrave said in his statement.
For now, the impact on Google’s revenue will be very limited. Brave and DuckDuckGo are two browsers that have far from significant market share, moreover, these web browsers already block ads by default.
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