Google · Google Privacy Policy

Cross-Service Data Combination for Advertising

High severity
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What it is

We use data to show you personalized ads. Depending on your settings, if you're signed in to your Google Account, we may show you personalized ads based on your interests and activity across Google services and sites and apps that partner with Google to show ads.

Why it matters

This is the core commercial use of your data. It means a health search in Google Search, a video watched on YouTube, and a location visited can all be combined to infer sensitive characteristics and serve targeted ads without your active awareness.

Consumer impact

Google collects a wide range of personal data including location history, search queries, emails (for feature delivery), browsing activity on third-party sites via Google's ad network, voice and audio data, and device identifiers, combining these across all Google services to build detailed user profiles. This cross-service data combination powers Google's advertising business and means your activity on one Google product can influence what you see on entirely different products and third-party websites. You can review and delete your data, turn off ad personalization, and manage location history at myaccount.google.com/data-and-privacy.

What you can do

⚠️ These actions may provide transparency or partial mitigation but may not fully address the underlying issue. Effectiveness varies by jurisdiction and individual circumstances.
  • Opt Out of Arbitration
    Go to adssettings.google.com, sign in to your Google Account, and toggle off 'Ad personalization' to stop Google from using your activity to personalize ads across Google services and partner sites.

Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC has jurisdiction over Google's advertising data practices under FTC Act Section 5 (unfair or deceptive practices) and enforces COPPA in relation to Google's collection of children's data for advertising.
    File a complaint →

Provision details

Document information
Document
Google Privacy Policy
Entity
Google
Document last updated
March 24, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
March 6, 2026
Last verified
April 4, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-001899
Document ID
CA-D-00015
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
SHA-256
7ae2c5414225f559d94f625194b17341f89b75a40ea396c34fd6aba669517459
Verified
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Change verified
How to Cite
ConductAtlas Policy Archive
Entity: Google | Document: Google Privacy Policy | Record: CA-P-001899
Captured: 2026-03-06 20:40:05 UTC | SHA-256: 7ae2c5414225f559…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/google/google-privacy-policy/cross-service-data-combination-for-advertising/
Accessed: April 4, 2026
Classification
Severity
High
Categories

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