Meta, Google, Apple, and Mozilla are developing Attribution Level 1, a built-in advertising measurement system for web browsers that tracks ad impressions to purchases without traditional consent mechanisms. The proposal lacks permissions sections and privacy regulation compliance features required of other ad technologies.

The system creates inherent advantages for Big Tech platforms by favoring lower-funnel advertising that captures demand closest to sales. This disadvantages legitimate ad-supported sites and shifts marketing budgets toward search and social platforms owned by the cartel members themselves.

Technical implementation involves browsers recording ad impressions across sites, then generating conversion reports when purchases occur. These feed into centralized aggregation services that provide anonymized results. However, the mathematical privacy protections focus on preventing cross-site recognition rather than addressing real-world privacy harms.

The proposal threatens digital sovereignty and environmental sustainability while enabling corporate lobbying through technical design. Browser extensions should manage attribution tracking like other advertising features. Attribution Level 1 represents an avoidable centralization of web advertising power that regulators must scrutinize before adoption.