Google has faced a public outcry over the amount of information it collects from users of its services. David Mitchell, an information technology analyst at Ovum, said: “If the hype around privacy gains more credibility, more people will hit the private button. There is a potential threat here to click-through [display] advertising.”
Google was unavailable for comment. However, one person familiar with its business said that if Microsoft’s browser succeeded in changing user behaviour it could pose some risks to Google’s attempts to expand its display advertising business. Google gets 90 per cent of its revenue from search advertising, which would not be affected, but it hopes display ads will become an important source of revenue.
