Watchdog’s outraged bark
Search engine outfit Google is bringing back “digital fingerprinting” in five weeks which means it is back to spying on users to make big bucks from advertising.
For those not in the know, digital fingerprinting is a data collection process that ingests all of your online signals (from IP address to complex browser information) and pinpoints unique users or devices.
The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office called Google’s decision “irresponsible” and issued a statement saying the move will reduce people’s choice and control over how their information is collected. The change to Google’s policy means that fingerprinting could now replace the functions of third-party cookies.
The move is odd given that Google has previously said that fingerprinting does not meet users’ expectations for privacy, as users cannot easily consent to it as they would cookies. This in turn means they cannot control how their information is collected. In 2019 Google said: “We think this subverts user choice and is wrong. “
The ICO said that when the new policy comes into force on 16 February 2025, organisations using Google’s advertising technology will be able to deploy fingerprinting without being in breach of Google’s own policies.
The shift is rather drastic. Where clear restrictions once existed, the new policy removes the prohibition (so allows such uses) and now only requires disclosure.
Its post ends with a warning that those hoping to use fingerprinting for advertising “will need to demonstrate how they are complying with the requirements of data protection law. These include providing users with transparency, securing freely-given consent, ensuring fair processing and upholding information rights such as the right to erasure.”
Security and privacy researcher Lukasz Olejnik asks if Google’s move is the biggest privacy erosion in 10 years.
He said that this marks the end of a decade of progress in internet and web privacy.
Some analysts or observers might wonder whether this approach to privacy online might signal similar attitudes in other future Google products, like AI.