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

Google collects information to show useful ads

High severity Medium confidence Explicitdocumentlanguage Common · 279 of 352 platforms

Key Facts

Why does YouTube Ads collect user information?
YouTube Ads collects user information in order to show ads it determines users will find most useful.
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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)

Ad utility determination is a stated purpose for data collection, meaning collected data is used to shape the advertising experience presented to the user.

Interpretive note: The excerpt names multiple purposes for collection; the canonical claim states the primary ad-related purpose. Other purposes (e.g., language detection, general service improvement) are recorded in omitted_material.

Recent Activity

This document changed recently

Medium Jun 18, 2026

The updated Privacy Policy now explicitly discloses how Google handles data under U.S. state privacy laws, particularly California's CCPA. Google states that it does not sell personal information and does not share it as that term is defined under the CCPA. The policy details user rights to access information, request deletion, correct information, and opt out of certain profiling and targeted advertising. Users can exercise these rights through tools like My Activity and My Ad Center, or by contacting Google directly. The policy also provides specific handling of health data under Washington's My Health My Data Act and Nevada Senate Bill 370, where Google processes such information only with user consent or as otherwise permitted by law.

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Medium Apr 18, 2026

The updated policy makes several material clarifications about how Google links your activity across websites and apps. It shifts from describing analytics tools in isolation to framing them as part of a broader 'ad and analytics services' ecosystem, and broadens the scope of data linking to explicitly include 'cookies and other technologies'. The policy also clarifies that data sharing occurs even in private browsing modes. Review your Google Account activity controls to understand what data is being collected and linked across services you use.

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Clause Stability Stable

0
Changes
4
Months Monitored
Jul 10, 2026
First Seen
Jul 10, 2026
Last Seen
This clause type exists across 3333 other provisions on other platforms.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

YouTube Ads collects your information and uses it to decide which ads to show you based on its assessment of what you will find most useful.

How other platforms handle this

Lyft Medium

Find and prevent fraud; and Block and remove unsafe or fraudulent users from the Lyft Platform.

Google Cloud Medium

combination of Service Data with information from other Google products and services. We also use Service Data for internal reporting and analysis of applicable product and business operations.

Walmart Medium

any personal information that you provide through the Walmart Sites will be used by Walmart in accordance with Walmart's Privacy Policy

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Monitoring

Google has changed this document before.

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
we collect information to provide better services to all our users — from figuring out basic stuff like which language you speak, to more complex things like which ads you'll find most useful

Excerpt from Google's Privacy Policy

Applicable regulations

EU AI Act
European Union
BIPA
Illinois, USA
CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
COPPA
United States Federal
Colorado AI Act
US-CO
CAN-SPAM
United States Federal
ePrivacy Directive
European Union
FCRA
United States Federal
FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal
GDPR
European Union
GLBA
United States Federal
HIPAA
United States Federal
TCPA
United States Federal
UK GDPR
United Kingdom

Provision details

Document information
Document
Google Privacy Policy
Entity
Google
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
July 9, 2026
Last verified
July 9, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-017771
Document ID
CA-D-00015
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
e3afa08c405a354175f73573062acfb3be4f7465ec3dba3410a8ca4258a72f61
Analysis generated
July 9, 2026 17:35 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Google
Document: Google Privacy Policy
Record ID: CA-P-017771
Captured: 2026-07-09 17:35:53 UTC
SHA-256: e3afa08c405a3541…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/google/google-privacy-policy/provision/CA-P-017771/google-collects-information-to-show-useful-ads/
Accessed: July 26, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
High
Categories

Other risks in this policy

Related Analysis

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Provision-level monitoring, governance timelines, and regulatory mapping built from archived source documents and historical version tracking.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Google's Google collects information to show useful ads clause do?

Ad utility determination is a stated purpose for data collection, meaning collected data is used to shape the advertising experience presented to the user.

How does this clause affect you?

YouTube Ads collects your information and uses it to decide which ads to show you based on its assessment of what you will find most useful.

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 279 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.