Google has announced that it will allow advertisers to use fingerprinting techniques in its advertising ecosystem starting February 16, 2025. This change marks a significant shift in the company’s privacy policies, which until now had openly opposed this type of tracking. The decision has sparked an intense debate regarding its ethical, legal, and technological implications.
What is fingerprinting and how does it work?
Fingerprinting is a technique that collects data such as IP address, operating system, device language, and geographical location to create a unique identifier for each user or device. Unlike cookies, fingerprinting does not require user interaction or explicit consent. Additionally, the collected data is often stored on remote servers, making it more difficult to detect and delete.
This method is particularly controversial due to its ability to operate without user participation, leading privacy advocates to view it as an aggressive and potentially invasive tracking technique.
Google: from prohibition to adoption
In the past, Google strongly opposed the use of fingerprinting, arguing that it infringed on user privacy and undermined their ability to control how their data was used. However, the company has justified this change by appealing to advancements in Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PETs), such as on-device processing, trusted execution environments, and secure multi-party computation.
Google claims that these innovations enable secure data management with greater privacy protection. According to the company, these technologies are an extension of its plan to build an advertising system that relies less on cookies, adapting to the growing use of advertising-funded devices and platforms, such as connected TV (CTV).
Controversy and regulator response
Google’s announcement has not gone unnoticed by regulators. The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) was one of the first institutions to respond, reminding companies that they do not have complete freedom to implement tracking techniques without restrictions. It also highlighted the contradiction between Google’s previous stance and this new policy, which permits previously banned practices, such as using permanent identifiers to track devices.
One of the most controversial points of this update is the removal of a key rule in Google’s previous policies, which prohibited advertisers from permanently marking devices. This new measure could allow for continuous tracking and the sharing of this information with Google, raising concerns about the ethical and legal impact of these practices.
Benefits and risks for the advertising ecosystem
Google argues that the use of fingerprinting will benefit both advertisers and users. According to the company, the PETs integrated into its ecosystem will ensure a higher level of privacy while allowing advertisers to customize campaigns and measure their effectiveness more accurately.
In an increasingly fragmented digital environment, Google aims to position itself as a leader in developing advertising technologies tailored to new platforms, such as connected TV. However, this approach poses evident risks to user privacy, especially in a context where other browsers like Safari and Firefox have adopted more restrictive measures against tracking.
Chrome, a key player in the rollout
The Chrome browser, used by over 60% of internet users worldwide, will be crucial for the implementation of fingerprinting. Google will be able to integrate this technique directly into its browser, giving it a competitive advantage over other browsers that prioritize privacy. This strategy could further consolidate Google’s dominant position in the advertising sector, but it may also provoke a negative reaction from users and regulators.
The future of privacy and digital advertising
Google’s change reflects a broader trend in the advertising industry toward the use of advanced data to optimize campaigns in an increasingly complex digital environment. However, it raises fundamental questions about the extent to which tech companies should prioritize user privacy over commercial interests.
As the implementation date approaches, it will be crucial to observe how regulators, competitors, and users react. While Google insists that its innovations ensure privacy protection, the debate over the ethical and legal implications of this policy is just beginning.
A delicate balance
In a world where privacy has become a central issue, the success of this new policy will depend on Google’s ability to demonstrate that it can balance advertising personalization with the protection of user data. For now, controversy looms, and time will tell whether this move redefines the future of digital advertising or amplifies concerns about online surveillance.
via: Google and social media news