In a controversial move, Google announced it will begin allowing broader digital fingerprinting across devices starting February 16, 2024, raising major privacy concerns from regulators.
The tech giant plans to relax restrictions on how advertisers can track users across multiple platforms - from smart TVs and gaming consoles to browsers and mobile apps. This marks a dramatic shift from Google's previous stance that such fingerprinting "subverts user choice and is wrong."
The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) called the change "irresponsible," warning that digital fingerprinting is harder for users to control than traditional tracking cookies. While cookies can be cleared from browsers, fingerprinting collects device data that cannot be easily erased.
Google defends the move by citing advances in privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) and changing internet usage patterns, particularly the rise of Connected TV advertising. The company claims this will enable "new ways for brands to manage data safely" while maintaining user privacy protections.
However, privacy advocates worry this represents a concerning expansion of tracking capabilities. Unlike cookies that users can see and control through browser settings or popup notices, digital fingerprinting operates more discreetly by combining various device signals to create unique identifiers.
The timing is notable, coming amid ongoing Department of Justice antitrust scrutiny of Google and uncertainty around the future of third-party tracking cookies. While Google frames this as necessary evolution for modern advertising, regulators emphasize that companies must still deploy such tracking lawfully and transparently.
For consumers, this development means their online activities may soon be tracked more extensively across their entire ecosystem of connected devices. The ICO advises users should maintain "meaningful control" over how their information is used for personalized advertising.
This policy change takes effect in approximately 8 weeks, giving users limited time to understand the implications and adjust their privacy settings across their various devices and platforms.