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Google’s recent policy shift to allow online advertisers to collect detailed user data through a method known as “fingerprinting” has sparked a strong backlash from privacy campaigners. The new permissions, introduced on February 17, 2025, have drawn criticism from privacy experts and regulators alike, with the U.K.’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) describing the move as “irresponsible.”
Fingerprinting allows advertisers to gather device-related data points, including hardware- and software specifications such as IP addresses, browser versions, operating systems, screen resolutions, and typefaces, as well as behavioral data points like cursor movements. Digital fingerprints are distinct from cookies in that they are incapable of being recovered from erasure or blocker programs, which allows them to persist across multiple websites and user sessions.
Google claims that the advertising method allows advertisers to display personalized promotions to users as a result of the increasing use of heterogeneous devices across a variety of platforms, including smart TVs and game consoles. Advertising technology will thrive in new platforms through biometrics, with the exception of privacy concerns, as per Google.
In a blog post, Google emphasized the need for privacy-enhancing technologies that balance user privacy with effective advertising. “Privacy-enhancing technologies offer new ways for our partners to succeed on emerging platforms without compromising user privacy,” said a Google spokesperson.
A U-Turn for Google
This policy shift marks a significant change for Google, which had previously criticized fingerprinting as an unfair practice. The company proclaimed publicly in 2019 that fingerprinting stood as an incorrect practice because it restricted users from managing their data or selecting data collection choices. Google asserts that users are unable to delete their biometrics from their devices, which compromises their capacity to regulate access to information collection.
At that time, Google asserted, “We think this subverts user choice and is wrong.” However, Google implemented a complete policy shift by granting authorization to advertisers who wish to incorporate biometrics into their advertising strategies.
Google’s new fingerprinting policy is the subject of intense criticism from privacy organizations, as it allows advertisers to monitor users across devices and websites without their consent. Will Richmond-Coggan, a specialist in technology and privacy law, is concerned about the potential impact on industry standards as a result of Google’s recent decision to implement fingerprinting tools.
“While the promised benefit of this change is to improve the relevance of advertising, many find it disconcerting, if not distressing,” said Richmond-Coggan. “It is to be hoped that the government will take note of this development and update relevant legislation to address these concerns.”
Privacy advocates argue that allowing fingerprinting provides advertisers with a form of tracking that is difficult for users to block or opt out of. Engineer Martin Thomson from Mozilla declared that this move enables advertisers to employ a tracking process which users find unreachable to control.
Regulatory Concerns
The ICO, which has been vocal in its opposition to fingerprinting, reiterated its concerns over the policy shift. In December 2024, the ICO described Google’s embrace of fingerprinting as “irresponsible” and warned that businesses must use fingerprinting in a lawful and transparent manner. “Like all advertising technology, it must be lawfully and transparently deployed – and if it is not, the ICO will act,” said Stephen Almond, ICO’s executive director of regulatory risk.
Staff technologist Lena Cohen of the Electronic Frontier Foundation stated how Google chooses profit above privacy with its current policy adjustment. She described how the advertising monitoring system that discloses sensitive data can easily become accessible to data brokers as well as surveillance companies and law enforcement agencies.
As privacy concerns continue to mount, it remains to be seen how regulators and lawmakers will respond to the growing use of fingerprinting in online advertising.
