Google has informed advertisers that it will begin using IP addresses for advertising measurement and personalization across the European Economic Area (EEA), the UK and Switzerland on or shortly after August 3, 2026.
While online services routinely receive IP addresses to route internet traffic and deliver content, using them for advertising personalization in these regions marks a significant shift because IP addresses are classified as personal data under European and UK privacy laws.
Google already collects IP addresses through customer tags, software development kits (SDKs), HTTP requests and data uploads to support ad delivery and security functions. The upcoming change affects how that data is used rather than how it is collected.
Beginning in August, Google will use IP addresses to help identify devices for advertising measurement and personalized experiences. This type of processing triggers consent requirements under regulations including the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the UK’s data protection framework.
As part of the rollout, Google will register for Feature 3 of the IAB Europe Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF), which covers identifying devices based on information automatically transmitted by those devices, including IP addresses. The feature itself does not create a separate consent mechanism but supports personalization activities that require explicit user permission.
Google says the new approach will rely on privacy-enhancing technologies such as on-device processing, trusted execution environments and secure multi-party computation. The company also noted that some IP-based personalization features will launch later this year or early next year, at which point users of Google’s services will be offered additional controls over how their information is used.
The move is notable because IP addresses can be used as part of device fingerprinting techniques, which enable tracking even when cookies are blocked or deleted. In 2019, former Chrome engineering director Justin Schuh publicly criticized fingerprinting, arguing that it undermines user choice because users cannot easily reset or clear the identifiers involved.
However, Google changed course in December 2024 when it ended its long-standing restrictions on fingerprinting for advertisers. The decision was quickly criticized by the UK’s data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office, which described the move as “irresponsible.”
The timing is particularly sensitive because the Information Commissioner’s Office recently advised the UK government that some forms of online advertising could operate without consent only when based on the content a user is viewing rather than their behavior across websites and services. Under that guidance, cross-service profiling and personalized advertising based on device identification would continue to require explicit consent.
The regulator has emphasized that existing privacy rules remain unchanged. Google has also reminded advertisers that they remain responsible for complying with its EU User Consent Policy and for obtaining valid consent from users in the affected regions.
For users, the immediate options remain largely unchanged. Individuals can continue to reject non-essential cookies and tracking requests through consent banners and review their preferences through Google’s ad settings at Google My Ad Center.
Whether Google’s new approach aligns with evolving regulatory expectations in Europe and the UK is likely to become a major point of debate as the rollout begins later this year.
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Google to Use IP Addresses for Ad Personalization in Europe Starting August 2026
