The policy authorizes specific third-party partners, including advertising measurement companies, to place their own cookies or similar tracking technologies on users' browsers or devices when users interact with Google's advertising and measurement ecosystem.
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
This provision establishes that Google authorizes third-party partners to independently collect data from user browsers and devices for advertising measurement, in addition to Google's own data collection. The policy identifies over two million non-Google websites and apps that partner with Google to show ads, which contextualizes the scale of third-party data collection this provision enables.
The updated policy establishes a new opt-in mechanism that allows Google services like Search and Gemini to access data from other Google services you use, including Gmail, Google Photos, and Drive, to personalize your experience and show you targeted ads. Previously, Google's policy stated it did not show personalized ads based on content from these services. Under the revised terms, if you choose to enable this feature, Google may use data from Gmail, Photos, and Drive to personalize ads and content, including through a feature called Personal Intelligence. You can manage this through your Google account settings to control which services can access data from other services.
View change record →Google's Privacy Policy now gives an effective date of October 1, 2026, replacing May 26, 2026. One passage changed. It covers information Google collects when you are not signed in, which it stores with identifiers tied to your browser, app or device. The policy previously said this lets Google show more relevant search results or ads “based on your activity”; it now says “based on your activity across devices.”
View change record →The updated policy explicitly discloses that Google collects data when you are signed out and stores it with unique identifiers tied to your browser, application, or device. The policy also expands the types of activity it collects to include 'media (like images, files, audio and video) from your interactions,' in addition to previously listed categories. The revised language reorganizes privacy controls into 'Search Services History' and 'Web & App Activity,' and clarifies that depending on your settings, activity from services like Search, Maps, and Shopping is saved as history to your Google Account. You can manage these settings through your Google Account privacy controls, including the ability to turn off Web & App Activity or adjust Personalized Recommendations in Search services.
View change record →⚠ Third-party advertising measurement partners may continue to place cookies or similar technologies on users' browsers and devices for advertising measurement as described, unless users configure browser-level cookie controls or adjust ad settings.
Cross-platform context
See how other platforms handle Third-Party Partner Cookie Placement for Advertising Measurement and similar clauses.
Compare across platforms →"We also allow specific partners to collect information from your browser or device for advertising and measurement purposes using their own cookies or similar technologies.Excerpt from Google's Privacy Policy
1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision implicates the EU ePrivacy Directive and GDPR consent requirements for third-party cookie placement on EU users' devices.
Enforcement risk, jurisdiction flags, contract triggers, and due diligence action items.
Get the weekly coverage letter
Companies change their terms without announcing it. We capture governance documents, compare each new version with the last, and publish what changed, with the source text behind it. One email a week on what we found and what we could not reach.
This provision establishes that Google authorizes third-party partners to independently collect data from user browsers and devices for advertising measurement, in addition to Google's own data collection. The policy identifies over two million non-Google websites and apps that partner with Google to show ads, which contextualizes the scale of third-party data collection this provision enables.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Google.