Google has informed advertisers that starting August 3, 2026 or shortly thereafter, it will begin using IP addresses for ad measurement and personalization in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland.
This change assigns a new purpose to the data Google already collects, moving from network routing to device identification for advertising purposes. The update also triggers consent requirements under UK and EU privacy laws.
Google describes this shift as a focus on privacy-enhancing technologies, including on-device processing, trusted execution environments, and secure multi-party computing.
Some controls for IP-based personalization will not be available until later this year or early next year.
What is really changing and why it matters for the UK and the EU
Google already collects IP addresses through client tags, SDKs, HTTP requests, and payloads. This data is used to route traffic and deliver advertisements.
However, starting August 3, the purpose changes: the same IP addresses will also be used to identify devices for measurement and ad personalization.
Google will also register with IAB Europe’s Transparency and Consent Framework for Feature 3, which seeks to identify devices based on automatically transmitted information.
According to the framework, Feature 3 is the method of distinguishing devices using data they automatically send, including IP addresses. It is not a consent step in itself; rather, it relates to personalization purposes that require user consent rather than legitimate interest.
IP addresses fall into the category of personal data under the GDPR. Using an IP address to identify a device is a fundamental part of fingerprinting, which is a method used to track devices even when cookies are blocked or deleted. Google previously argued that fingerprinting undermines user choice.
In 2019, Justin Schuh, then director of engineering at Chrome, stated that fingerprints were problematic because users couldn’t delete them the same way they delete cookies.
However, Google changed its stance in December 2024, removing the ban on fingerprinting for advertisers.
The UK Information Commissioner’s Office, or ICO, called Google’s December 2024 revocation “irresponsible” a day after the announcement.
The position of the ICO
The timing of the August 3 launch has raised concerns in light of recent ICO guidelines. On 18 May 2026, the ICO provided advice to the UK government on potential updates to online advertising regulations.
The ICO’s preferred approach allows some advertising without user consent only when it is based on the context seen, rather than on a person’s activity over time. Consent is still required for tracking that creates profiles across multiple services.
Under the ICO framework, personalization based on IP addresses on different platforms falls on the side that requires consent. The ICO has emphasized that no changes have been implemented yet and that the current rules continue to apply.
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 comes next
The option for users to choose IP-based personalization in Google Properties will not be available until later in the rollout.
Until then, controls users can access include rejecting non-essential cookies and consent requests when they appear, reviewing ad personalization settings on myadcenter.google.com in your Google Account, and using browsers with built-in tracking protection, such as Firefox or Brave, which impose additional restrictions on tracking.
Users can also use a VPN to mask their IP address from advertising endpoints, although this changes the IP rather than removing it as an identifier.
To see which personalization features are currently active, users should log 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 be used for ad targeting.
It is not yet clear whether Google’s August 3 update will meet the ICO’s preferred consent standards. The ICO has not yet confirmed whether enforcement action will be taken if IP-based personalization is used without obtaining consent that conforms to UK regulations.
Google has not announced specific dates when the IP customization controls that users see will be available on their sites.
Advertisers using Google services have been notified of the changes and are responsible for ensuring they comply with consent requirements in affected regions.
