Tracking connections made easy

Usually, we encounter ad trackers in our browsers and have to click through their "consent requests." That alone can be annoying, and if we’re not careful, they’re "allowed" to track our browsing habits and sell that data on. Netzpolitik.org has now come across a special tracker.

The company Utiq works directly with internet service providers. They started with mobile connections, and now they track landline connections just as successfully. Their advertising slogan sounds really good: Our tracking can also "reach target groups in hard-to-track environments without relying on third-party cookies."

However, the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI) views the practice as "ambiguous," as Netzpolitik.org reports. And the digital policy association D64 has dubbed this tracking technology "Big Brother made in Germany."

This is because Utiq can still recognize users even if they have deleted their cookies in their browser. To do this, the company receives a unique, pseudonymous identifier from internet service providers for each internet connection—though not names or phone numbers. This allows Utiq to permanently link data to a connection even if cookies have been deleted. However, this applies to all users or devices on that connection.

Who is affected?

First of all, Utiq must work with the user’s personal internet service provider. Utiq provides a list of these providers. Furthermore, the user must have consented to tracking "at some point." However, it’s unlikely that anyone will remember which consent applied to which tracker. The best approach is still to "object to all trackers" or "reject all."

It would be simpler to simply ban such business models...

A "NO" should really be enough — or so we always thought — but the advertising industry keeps trying an we have to fight for nonsense:

No, I do not want to install your app.
No, I do not want that app to run on startup.
No, I do not want that app shortcut on my desktop.
No, I do not want to subscribe to your newsletter.
No, I do not want your site to send me notifications.
No, I do not want to tell you about my recent experience.
No, I do not want to sign up for an account.
No, I do not want to sign up using a different service and let the two of you know about each other.
No, I do not want to sign in for a more personalized experience. No, I do not want to allow you to read my contacts.
No, I do not want you to scan my content.
No, I do not want you to track me.
No, I do not want to click "Later" or "Not now" when what I mean is NO.

Read more https://netzpolitik.org/2025/utiq-tracking-jetzt-auch-am-internetanschluss-zu-hause/

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