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douglas9

(4,719 posts)
Mon Jan 13, 2025, 08:43 AM Jan 2025

Google allows advertisers to fingerprint you for even better tracking

Google has announced a change to its advertising policies that will allow advertisers to use digital fingerprinting starting February 16, 2025.

Why it is important: digital fingerprinting uses signals, like the IP address, location, language, used software, or operating system, to identify devices and users on the Internet.

Numerous digital fingerprinting techniques exist, some even capable of cross-browser fingerprinting.

Tip: you can test your browser's anti-fingerprinting protections, or lack therefor, on the EFF's Cover Your Tracks webpage.

This tracking technique works well with other methods, but may also stand on its own. It offers several advantages over cookies, but only to the trackers:

Information may be collected without user consent or the user even knowing that it is collected.
The data is stored remotely, not on the user's device.
Unlike cookies, which can be deleted easily at any time, digital fingerprint data cannot.
Google announced the change on its Google Marketing Platform Help support website. According to Google, the updated policies "clarify the activities that we prohibit to better protect the ads ecosystem from harmful activities, while being less prescriptive with partners in how they target and measure ads".

https://www.ghacks.net/2025/01/13/google-allows-advertisers-to-fingerprint-you-for-even-better-tracking/

19 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Google allows advertisers to fingerprint you for even better tracking (Original Post) douglas9 Jan 2025 OP
We live in a digital surveillance state. Voltaire2 Jan 2025 #1
That's why I love them so much. 🤮 Wonder Why Jan 2025 #3
Jam the system C_U_L8R Jan 2025 #2
What is EFF and what do we do with the information we might find? 3Hotdogs Jan 2025 #4
Quick DuckDuckGo lookup yields Electronic Frontier Foundation erronis Jan 2025 #11
Can they track me if I use duckduckgo (not Chrome) but still using gmail? n/t KatK Jan 2025 #5
Update: Here are my EFF results KatK Jan 2025 #6
I got the same thing. Reading further, you and I definitely AllyCat Jan 2025 #7
I use Privacy Badger and have the same finger-printing SuperCookie results. erronis Jan 2025 #12
Boo. Wonder if a VPN helps? AllyCat Jan 2025 #14
You can be tracked, but not because of Gmail RainCaster Jan 2025 #9
I use a VPN and come in from many different hosts. But the finger-printing detection is the most difficult. erronis Jan 2025 #13
Whenever you have an option for "personalized ads" (instead of generic ads), turn it off! Intractable Jan 2025 #8
I use Firefox to block fingerprinting Bernardo de La Paz Jan 2025 #10
Is that from desktop only? I don't have "security" listed AllyCat Jan 2025 #15
It's on my desktop, listed as "Privacy & Security". . . . nt Bernardo de La Paz Jan 2025 #17
Using Brave browser ItsjustMe Jan 2025 #19
What is Browser Fingerprinting and How Can You Clear It? douglas9 Jan 2025 #16
Thanks. This contains some useful tips. Unfortunately I use most of them and fingerprinting erronis Jan 2025 #18

Voltaire2

(15,366 posts)
1. We live in a digital surveillance state.
Mon Jan 13, 2025, 09:49 AM
Jan 2025

But don’t worry, the oligarchs controlling this are benevolent despots.

C_U_L8R

(47,064 posts)
2. Jam the system
Mon Jan 13, 2025, 10:31 AM
Jan 2025

Randomly search assorted nonsense and their tracking will become useless.
Noise vs Signal. Surprised no one hasn't built an app for that, aside from threat of lawsuits.

erronis

(18,938 posts)
11. Quick DuckDuckGo lookup yields Electronic Frontier Foundation
Mon Jan 13, 2025, 11:50 AM
Jan 2025
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Frontier_Foundation

They have a long history of trying to protect our privacy while using the internet.

For anybody interested, the DDG extension makes looking up anything in the browser a cinch.
- install the extension
- highlight the word or phrase you want to research
- right-click on that word/phrase and choose "Search DuckDuckGo for "
- It will return a new tab with the primary definition. Usually Wikipedia or a dictionary entry.

KatK

(231 posts)
5. Can they track me if I use duckduckgo (not Chrome) but still using gmail? n/t
Mon Jan 13, 2025, 10:44 AM
Jan 2025

I use DuckDuckGo because it blocks a lot of trackers.

Can Google grab my digital fingerprint while using gmail on the duckduckgo browser?

KatK

(231 posts)
6. Update: Here are my EFF results
Mon Jan 13, 2025, 10:49 AM
Jan 2025

I took the EFF tracking test for my duckduckgo browser at https://coveryourtracks.eff.org

Here are the results:
>>
Our tests indicate that you have strong protection against Web tracking.
Is your browser:
Blocking tracking ads? Yes
Blocking invisible trackers? Yes
Protecting you from fingerprinting? Your browser has a unique fingerprint
>>

So what does this mean? Can Google track me via gmail? Or since I do not see any google ads, perhaps advertisers cannot track me?

AllyCat

(17,784 posts)
7. I got the same thing. Reading further, you and I definitely
Mon Jan 13, 2025, 11:05 AM
Jan 2025

are NOT protected from digital fingerprinting. It recommends its hawked product of “Privacy Badger”. Will research more before I load it.

erronis

(18,938 posts)
12. I use Privacy Badger and have the same finger-printing SuperCookie results.
Mon Jan 13, 2025, 11:56 AM
Jan 2025

Apparently this fingerprinting is very hard to subvert or hide.

RainCaster

(12,626 posts)
9. You can be tracked, but not because of Gmail
Mon Jan 13, 2025, 11:08 AM
Jan 2025

It's because of your consistent IP address. Connect using Tor and your address will be changed so often that tracking will be less useful to advertisers.

erronis

(18,938 posts)
13. I use a VPN and come in from many different hosts. But the finger-printing detection is the most difficult.
Mon Jan 13, 2025, 11:58 AM
Jan 2025

Intractable

(966 posts)
8. Whenever you have an option for "personalized ads" (instead of generic ads), turn it off!
Mon Jan 13, 2025, 11:05 AM
Jan 2025

Obviously, personalized ads require and collect more data.

Bernardo de La Paz

(54,639 posts)
10. I use Firefox to block fingerprinting
Mon Jan 13, 2025, 11:37 AM
Jan 2025

... but the EFF test link says it detects fingerprint id info. https://coveryourtracks.eff.org/ EFF is legit.

Firefox is set in Settings > Security to block known and suspected fingerprinters. I hope they put google ads into the "known" category.

AllyCat

(17,784 posts)
15. Is that from desktop only? I don't have "security" listed
Mon Jan 13, 2025, 02:18 PM
Jan 2025

After “settings” on my mobile.

erronis

(18,938 posts)
18. Thanks. This contains some useful tips. Unfortunately I use most of them and fingerprinting
Mon Jan 13, 2025, 04:21 PM
Jan 2025

is still the major weakness - the characteristics of your browser's capabilities are really what makes fingerprinting work.

This article from the Firefox website explains it well - and how to use the protection:
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-protection-against-fingerprinting

I am on a VPN with NetShield(Proton VPN), use DDG and Privacy Badger and uBlock Origin and NoScript. Sometimes I have to let known/trusted sites through since they may be broken with all of the security filters.

The Tor browser (Firefox repackaged) is great but it may slow things down for many.

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