Google Will Allow Fingerprinting in February – What This Means for Marketers

Starting from February 16, Google will allow advertisers to use fingerprinting to collect user data across the web.

Previously, Google had prohibited this practice, but as third-party cookies continue to wane, the search engine appears to be offering it as an alternative. 

What is fingerprinting?

Fingerprinting is a method that collects more information about a user’s device than the user themselves. 

It could include: screen size, type of device, operating system, browser version, language settings, IP address and time zone – all of which doesn’t sound like the most useful customer data in the world, unless you’re selling laptops. 

However, when combined, this information can provide a unique profile of a device, which can then be tracked across multiple sessions and sites and can be linked to your activities online.