The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has expressed “strong concerns” following Google’s decision to allow fingerprinting within its advertising products.

On Wednesday, Google announced that from 16 February 2025 it will no longer prohibit organisations using its ad products from implementing fingerprinting techniques.

The public body described the move as “irresponsible”, warning that fingerprinting can undermine user control and choice over how their data is collected and used.

The ICO said that the collection of the signals associated with fingerprinting is harder to identify and block.

Stephen Almond, executive director, regulatory risk at the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) warned that fingerprinting could become a "higher-risk" replacement for third-party cookies, and called on businesses to demonstrate compliance with data protection laws, including obtaining freely given consent.

"We think this change is irresponsible," wrote Almond in a blog post. "Google itself has previously said that fingerprinting does not meet users’ expectations for privacy, as users cannot easily consent to it as they would cookies.

"This in turn means they cannot control how their information is collected. To quote Google’s own position on fingerprinting from 2019: “We think this subverts user choice and is wrong.”"

The ICO has said it will act on any misuse of fingerprinting and continues to engage with Google.

The organisation went on to say that there should be no doubt around any business’ obligations when it comes to fingerprinting and privacy, with data protection like the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) law applying.

"Businesses must give users fair choices over whether to be tracked before using fingerprinting technology, including obtaining consent from their users where necessary," continued Almond.

The ICO has published draft guidance today on how data protection law, including PECR, applies to storage and access technologies such as fingerprinting. It is also launching a consultation on the guidance.

“We look forward to further discussions with the ICO about this policy change," said a Google spokesperson. "Privacy enhancing technologies offer new ways for our partners to succeed on emerging platforms like CTV without compromising on user privacy.

"We continue to give users choice whether to receive personalised ads, and will work across the industry to encourage responsible data use.”

---