The bottom line: Google registers in the IAB framework for device identification via IP address and shifts responsibility for user consent to advertisers, prompting criticism from data protection authorities.
From 3 August 2026, Google will deliberately use IP addresses of users in the EU, United Kingdom and Switzerland for ad personalization. Since IP addresses fall under GDPR, Google is shifting the consent obligation to advertisers.
Google informed advertisers that from 3 August 2026, the company will use IP addresses of users from the European Economic Area, United Kingdom and Switzerland for ad measurement and personalization. While Google already routinely receives these data for traffic management and general ad delivery, the deliberate use for device identification for advertising purposes is new. In the affected regions, IP addresses are classified as personal data under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and trigger corresponding consent obligations.
To implement this, Google is registering in the Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF) of IAB Europe for Purpose 3, defined as “Identify devices based on automatically transmitted information”. This purpose enables distinguishing an end device from other systems through automatically transmitted data such as the IP address. This is a central component of so-called fingerprinting, which allows devices to be tracked even when cookies are deleted or blocked.
Google is shifting the legal responsibility for obtaining valid user consent to advertisers. The company points to its own user choice policies in the EU. Advertisers must obtain consent from end users themselves. A direct choice option for users regarding IP-based personalization on Google’s own platforms will only be introduced later in the rollout process.
The British data protection authority ICO criticizes this approach. In December 2024, Google had already lifted the fingerprinting ban for advertisers – a decision the ICO at the time called irresponsible. On 18 May 2026, the ICO recommended to the UK Parliament that consent rules for online advertising be tightened so that cross-profile tracking across different services continues to require mandatory consent.
Source: www.it-daily.net · Published 21 June 2026
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