Yes, it does—and checking it is surprisingly simple. All you need to do is open your Google Chrome browser and type the following into the address bar: chrome://site-engagement/. Once you hit enter, you’ll be presented with engagement stats that show your loyalty to the websites you visit.
As always, we know Google, through Chrome, collects an enormous amount of information. What remains unclear is whether this data is used in its Google Search and Discover products—two key drivers of traffic for media outlets. Although, let’s face it, most of us suspect that it is.
If this is the case, Google would be gathering site loyalty data and recording it alongside engagement metrics like average or median interaction scores for all the websites users browse. Based on these metrics, sites are assigned a score, and the type of engagement users exhibit is analyzed.
Once again, we see how Google leverages its popular browser to harvest data that’s a goldmine. It’s astonishing that such data (likely anonymized) wouldn’t already be integrated into its search systems. Most likely, it already is.
This raises further concerns about how Google might be using Chrome to solidify its monopoly in the online search market. This potential conflict of interest is one reason the United States Department of Justice has proposed separating Chrome from Google.
If you’re keen to dive deeper into this topic, credit goes to Dan Petrovic, whose article serves as the source of this information. The article’s comments reveal further insights, such as how Google may be using this data to suggest frequently visited sites or prioritize notifications, among other possibilities.
Note: Article originally written in Spanish, translated with ChatGPT, and reviewed in english by Jorge Mediavilla.
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