Google has updated its advertising policy, allowing advertisers to track web users with so-called digital fingerprints. The new policy will come into effect in February.
Digital fingerprinting uses signals such as IP address, location, language, software and operating system to identify devices and users online. This tracking technology is more comprehensive than cookies, as information can be collected without the user’s knowledge or consent. Unlike cookies, which can be easily deleted, digital fingerprint data is stored remotely and cannot be deleted by the user.
The new policy will take effect on February 16, Ghacks.net reports. Another change is that Google has removed a previous rule that prohibited advertisers from sending permanent identifying information, like a cell phone’s unique device ID. This means that advertisers can now identify users based on their devices and pass the information to Google for tracking.
As recently as 2019, Google judged that this type of tracking “undermines users’ freedom of choice and is wrong”, but has since changed its stance. The company now says that techniques to protect user privacy have improved significantly and that more essential services are now funded by advertising.
“Must be used legally and transparently”
The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) was among the first to react to Google’s change in advertising policy, stressing that companies cannot use digital fingerprinting in any way they see fit.
“Like all advertising technology, it must be lawfully and transparently deployed – and if it is not, the ICO will act, it wrote in its blog.
Some content blockers can provide protection against digital fingerprinting, according to Ghacks.net. Even browsers such as Firefox and Brave offer built-in protection against this type of tracking.
