Provision record
Google · Google Privacy Policy · View original document ↗

Data Retention and Deletion Policy

Medium severity Common · 275 of 352 platforms
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This analysis describes what Google's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

The provision operationalizes Google's data lifecycle management by creating distinct retention categories rather than uniform retention periods. This structure allows the company to maintain data necessary for service operations and legal compliance while simultaneously providing deletion mechanisms for user-controlled content, establishing differentiated obligations across data types.

Clause Stability Stable

0
Changes
6
Months Monitored
Apr 4, 2026
First Seen
Apr 9, 2026
Last Seen
This clause type exists across 1630 other provisions on other platforms.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Users operate under a retention system where deletion rights exist for self-created content, automatic expiration applies to certain data categories on defined schedules, and other data remains retained indefinitely pending business or legal justification. The availability of deletion mechanisms is limited to specific data categories as determined by Google's classification, while the duration of retention for other categories is not specified in this clause.

How other platforms handle this

Affirm Medium

Affirm will retain your information in accordance with our Privacy Policy and any applicable state or federal law, rule or regulation.

Palantir Medium

We collect and keep personal data only as needed or allowed for the purposes set out in this Statement, based on the reason we collected the personal data in the first instance and what is permitted under the laws that apply to the processing.

Mistral AI Medium

Mistral AI shall retain the Customer Exportable Data and Assets for a period of thirty (30) days from the earlier between (a) the expiration of the Transitional Period or (b) Customer's notification under Section 2.2.2 (b) of these Additional Terms.

See all platforms with this clause type →
▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
We retain the data we collect for different periods of time depending on what it is, how we use it, and how you configure your settings: Some data you can delete whenever you like, such as the content you create or upload. Some data is deleted or anonymized automatically after a set period of time. And some data we retain for longer periods of time when necessary for legitimate business or legal purposes.

Excerpt from Google's Privacy Policy

Applicable regulations

CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
FCRA
United States Federal
GDPR
European Union
GLBA
United States Federal
HIPAA
United States Federal
Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act
US-IN
UK GDPR
United Kingdom

Provision details

Document information
Document
Google Privacy Policy
Entity
Google
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
March 6, 2026
Last verified
April 9, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-001901
Document ID
CA-D-00015
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
7ae2c5414225f559d94f625194b17341f89b75a40ea396c34fd6aba669517459
Analysis generated
March 6, 2026 20:40 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Google
Document: Google Privacy Policy
Record ID: CA-P-001901
Captured: 2026-03-06 20:40:05 UTC
SHA-256: 7ae2c5414225f559…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/google/google-privacy-policy/provision/CA-P-001901/data-retention-and-deletion-policy/
Accessed: Sept. 6, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Google's Data Retention and Deletion Policy clause do?

The provision operationalizes Google's data lifecycle management by creating distinct retention categories rather than uniform retention periods. This structure allows the company to maintain data necessary for service operations and legal compliance while simultaneously providing deletion mechanisms for user-controlled content, establishing differentiated obligations across data types.

How does this clause affect you?

Users operate under a retention system where deletion rights exist for self-created content, automatic expiration applies to certain data categories on defined schedules, and other data remains retained indefinitely pending business or legal justification. The availability of deletion mechanisms is limited to specific data categories as determined by Google's classification, while the duration of retention for other categories is not …

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 275 platforms. See the full comparison.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Google?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Google.