Google now allows digital fingerprinting of its users

The report outlines Google’s change in strategy from eliminating third-party cookies to allowing fingerprinting in its ad ecosystem, noting the UK ICO’s reminder that such practices must remain lawful and transparent. It explains how fingerprinting assembles device and browser attributes to identify users and warns that this approach is harder for users to control than cookies. The piece concludes with practical defenses—using anti-fingerprinting browsers or extensions, a VPN to mask IP, keeping browsers updated, and optionally disabling JavaScript—while acknowledging potential usability trade-offs.