Google's Fingerprinting Policy U-Turn: A Decade of Privacy Progress Reverted?
Google's upcoming February 2025 policy change allowing device fingerprinting for advertising purposes has drawn sharp criticism from the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). This is seen as potentially the biggest erosion of online privacy in a decade. Previously, Google pledged to prohibit fingerprinting to protect user privacy and align with its Privacy Sandbox initiatives. The new policy, however, only mandates disclosure of data collection, not a ban on fingerprinting. This contradicts Google's past statements and could pave the way for highly targeted, AI-powered advertising, intensifying data collection and privacy risks. Analysts fear this signals a regression in online privacy and foreshadows similar approaches in future Google products.