Google · Google Privacy Policy

Location Data Collection

High severity
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What it is

When you use Google services, we may collect and process information about your actual location. We use various technologies to determine location, including IP address, GPS, and other sensors that may, for example, provide Google with information on nearby devices, Wi-Fi access points and cell towers.

Why it matters

Precise and continuous location data is among the most sensitive personal information — it reveals your home, workplace, medical appointments, religious practices, political activities, and personal relationships. Google's collection of this data through multiple simultaneous sensors goes beyond what users typically consent to.

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.
  • Delete Your Data
    Go to myaccount.google.com/data-and-privacy, select 'Location History', choose 'Turn off' and then 'Delete all Location History' to stop future collection and remove historical location data.

Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC has enforcement authority over Google's location data practices under FTC Act Section 5, and has identified persistent location tracking as a key commercial surveillance concern.
    File a complaint →
  • State AG
    Multiple State AGs (including Arizona, which settled with Google for $85M over deceptive location tracking) have jurisdiction over location data practices under state consumer protection laws.
    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-001900
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-001900
Captured: 2026-03-06 20:40:05 UTC | SHA-256: 7ae2c5414225f559…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/google/google-privacy-policy/location-data-collection/
Accessed: April 4, 2026
Classification
Severity
High
Categories

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