Google has notified advertisers that starting on or shortly after August 3, 2026, it will begin using IP addresses for ad measurement and personalization in the European Economic Area, the UK, and Switzerland.
This change gives a new purpose to data previously collected by Google, changing from network routing to device identification for advertising purposes. This update also triggers consent requirements under UK and EU privacy laws.
Google describes this change as focusing on privacy-enhancing technologies, including on-device processing, trusted execution environments, and secure multi-party computation.
Some controls for IP-based personalization won’t be available until late this year or early next year.
What’s really changing and why it matters for the UK and EU
Google already collects IP addresses through customer tags, SDKs, HTTP requests, and uploads. This data is used to route traffic and serve advertisements.
However, from August 3 the purpose will change: the same IP address will also be used to identify devices for measurement and ad personalization.
Google will also register under the IAB Europe Transparency and Consent Framework for Feature 3, which is about automatically identifying devices based on transmitted information.
Under the framework, Feature 3 is a method of distinguishing devices using automatically sent data, including IP addresses. This in itself is not a consensual move; Rather, it relates to personalization purposes that require user consent rather than legitimate interest.
IP addresses fall under the category of personal data under the GDPR. Using an IP address to identify a device is a fundamental part of fingerprinting, a method used to track a device even when cookies are blocked or cleared. Google has previously argued that fingerprinting undermines user choice.
In 2019, Justin Schuh, then Chrome engineering director, said that fingerprinting was problematic because users could not clear it the same way they clear cookies.
However, Google changed its stance in December 2024, lifting the ban on fingerprinting for advertisers.
The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office, or ICO, called Google’s decision “irresponsible” in December 2024 within a day of the announcement.
ICO status
The timing of the August 3 rollout has raised concerns in light of recent ICO guidance. On May 18, 2026, the ICO provided advice to the UK Government regarding potential updates to online advertising rules.
The ICO’s preferred approach allows some advertising without user consent only if it is based on the context of what is being viewed rather than an individual’s activity over time. Consent is required for tracking that creates profiles across multiple services.
Under the framework of the ICO, personalization based on IP addresses on different platforms falls in favor of requiring consent. The ICO has stressed that no changes have been implemented yet and the existing rules will remain in place.
Google sent an email to advertisers, emphasizing that they are still responsible for compliance. The message reminded them that they must comply with Google’s EU user consent policy and obtain valid consent from users in the relevant regions.
What users can do now and what’s next
The option for users to opt out of IP-based personalization on Google’s own properties won’t be available until after the rollout.
Until then, controls users can access include rejecting non-essential cookies and consent prompts when they appear, reviewing ad personalization settings on myadcenter.google.com under your Google Account, and using a browser with built-in tracking protections, like Firefox or Brave, which place additional restrictions on tracking.
Users can also use a VPN to hide their IP address from advertising endpoints, although this replaces the IP as an identifier rather than eliminating it.
To see which personalization features are currently active, users should sign in to myadcenter.google.com, review the topics and demographics that Google associates with their account, and disable any categories they do not want to use for ad targeting.
It is still unclear whether Google’s August 3 update will meet the ICO’s preferred consent standards. The ICO has not yet confirmed whether it will take enforcement action if IP-based personalization is used without obtaining consent in line with UK rules.
Google has not announced specific dates for when user-viewed IP personalization controls will be available on its sites.
Advertisers using Google’s services have been notified of the changes and are responsible for ensuring that they comply with consent requirements in the affected regions.
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