Biggest Privacy Erosion in 10 Years? Google's Policy Change

Monday, January 13, 2025

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.

Posted by LampLighter at 01:23 AM | 8 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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More from the blog ...

... What Is Fingerprinting

Device fingerprinting involves collecting information about user devices, such as smartphones or computers, to create a unique identifier, often to track people or their activities as they browse around the web. This data may include IP addresses, browser user-agent strings, screen resolution, or even details like battery discharge rate. Fingerprinting is particularly concerning because it can be passive"requiring no user interaction. Data is collected without the user's knowledge and linked to their device. Upon subsequent browsing, systems can recognize the same visitor, enabling ad tracking or uncovering private information, such as browsing habits.

This form of identification is neither transparent nor user-friendly.

Users are often unaware it is happening, and when done without their consent, awareness, or other legal grounds, it breaches laws. Unlike cookies or other mechanisms, such identifiers cannot be easily "cleared," making them especially invasive. ...

#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-01-13 01:25 AM | Reply

I didn't know we had an ICO.

#2 | Posted by Charliecharles at 2025-01-13 01:30 AM | Reply

Google's Motto Was 'Don't Be Evil'? (October 2024)
www.snopes.com

...
Claim: Google's company motto was once "Don't be evil."

Rating: Mostly True

About this rating

Context

Google has used the phrase "Don't be evil" -- which a Google representative described as an "unofficial motto" -- in official communications since the early 2000s, including in documentation filed for its 2004 initial public opening.

The company has used the phrase less frequently since 2018, when it removed most -- but not all -- mentions of it from Google's code of conduct.

However, Google has never officially disavowed the phrase, one instance of which remained part of the most-recent version of the company's code of conduct available at the time of this writing.
...

#3 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-01-13 01:31 AM | Reply

@#2 ... ICO ...

ICO?

What means thee?

#4 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-01-13 01:32 AM | Reply

Information Commissioner's Office, from the original post.

#5 | Posted by Charliecharles at 2025-01-13 01:47 AM | Reply

Information Commissioner's Office, from the original post.

#6 | Posted by Charliecharles at 2025-01-13 01:47 AM | Reply

@#5 .. Information Commissioner's Office, from the original post. ...

Thanks, I missed that TLA.

About the ICO / Who we are
ico.org.uk

... The ICO exists to empower you through information. Find out more about our organisation and structure. ...

So, you disagree or agree with the ICO's opinion on google's "Don't be evil" motto?

#7 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-01-13 01:57 AM | Reply

I think ICO is just telling us what is going on. We, the end users, are the commodity that Google is selling, and they make a lot of money by doing so. When I am presented with a privacy document I immediately disregard it, if it is presented by a person I tell them I don't believe it. For me, security by obscurity is the best i can hope for.

As for "don't be evil", I think that went out of effect when Google announced that they had changed their policy.

#8 | Posted by Charliecharles at 2025-01-13 04:05 AM | Reply