Don’t let Google fingerprint you
Google has made the controversial decision to let advertisers ‘fingerprint’ internet users. Robert Irvine explains this new privacy threat and suggests how you can avoid being tracked
What is Google doing and why?
On 16 February, Google will update the ‘program policies’ for its advertising platform to allow advertisers to use digital fingerprinting. This will make it easier for them to identify you and your devices, so they can target you with personalised ads.
Google says it’s making this change to reflect “advances in privacy-enhancing technologies” (www.snipca.com/53623) and the shift towards smart TVs and streaming services. “Businesses who advertise on CTV (connected television) need the ability to connect with relevant audiences and understand the effectiveness of their campaigns”.
In simple terms, this means traditional tracking cookies are no longer proving effective at collecting users’ personal data across devices, but digital-fingerprinting techniques will let advertisers obtain all the information they want.
Google previously pledged to eradicate third-party cookies through its Privacy Sandbox initiative, but abandoned its plans last July (www.snipca.com/53624). Fingerprinting offers an alternative way to track users, but it’s also more controversial.
Why is fingerprinting controversial?
As the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has noted, Google once warned that fingerprinting “subverts user choice and is wrong” (www.snipca.com/53626).