"While I once hoped 2017 would be the year of privacy, 2024 closes on a troubling note, a likely decrease in privacy standards across the web. I was surprised by the recent Information Commissioner’s Office post, which criticized Google’s decision to introduce device fingerprinting for advertising purposes from February 2025. According to ICO, this change risks undermining user control and transparency in how personal data is collected and used. Could this mark the end of nearly a decade of progress in internet and web privacy? It would be unfortunate if the newly developing AI economy started from a decrease of privacy and data protection standards. Some analysts or observers might then be inclined to wonder whether this approach to privacy online might signal similar attitudes in other future Google products, like AI.

I can confidently raise this question, having observed and analyzed this area for over 15 years from various perspectives. My background includes experience in web browser security and privacy, including in standardization. I served in the W3C Technical Architecture Group, and have authored scientific papers on privacy, tracking, and fingerprinting, as well as assessments of technologies like Web APIs. This includes the Privacy Sandbox’s Protected Audience API. I was looking forward to the architectural improvements of web privacy. In other words, I am deeply familiar with this context. The media so far have done a great job bringing attention to the issue, but they frame this development as a controversy between Google’s policy change and the UK ICO’s concerns. I believe that the general public and experts alike would benefit from a broader perspective."

https://blog.lukaszolejnik.com/biggest-privacy-erosion-in-10-years-on-googles-policy-change-towards-fingerprinting/

#Google #Surveillance #AdTracking #Privacy #DataProtection

"The UK’s data protection regulator has criticised Google over its decision to allow advertisers to use technology to track users which is harder to control or block.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said Google’s decision was “irresponsible” and accused the company of a U-turn, having previously prohibited the use of so-called fingerprinting technology.

Fingerprinting involves collecting pieces of information about a device’s software and hardware which can be combined to uniquely identify a device and its user – and the ICO has warned that this technology is harder to wipe than clearing cookies or site data from a web browser, meaning users could continue to be identified by advertisers."

https://www.independent.co.uk/business/ico-criticises-google-over-irresponsible-advertising-tracking-change-b2667072.html

#UK #ICO #Google #AdTracking #FingerPrinting #DataProtection #Privacy