Our colleague Sam Shekner is a technology reporter and writes about things like online advertising,

which means that he knows a lot about those ads that follow you around online.

Last time you were on the show, you talked about how you had been followed around by an ad

for a rhinoceros t-shirt.

Is that ad still stalking you?

Sadly no, I kind of missed that t-shirt. I do get ads for some wacky t-shirts from time to time,

so I'm clearly on somebody's list.

The ads that are following me around the internet right now have to do entirely with puppies

and dog stuff because I just got a puppy.

Congratulations. What's your puppy's name? It's the most important question.

His name is Picasso.

It's a good name. It's a good name. I guess it won't wonder if he's early Picasso or late

Picasso, but...

The ads that follow you around the web are based on a technology called third party cookies.

Advertisers and publishers love them because it makes it easier to make money online.

But privacy advocates and some regulators do not like third party cookies. They say

they're an invasion of privacy.

And so, for the last few years, Google has been trying to figure out a way to get rid

of third party cookies and replace them with something new.

Something that will keep advertisers and privacy advocates happy.

It's going to require a kind of wholesale reinventing of the way people make money online.

Would you say that what Google has been doing is controversial?

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