McDonald's · McDonald's Privacy Policy · View original document ↗

Data Sharing as Potential Sale Under State Law

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Document Record

What it is

The global section states McDonald's does not sell personal information for monetary consideration, while acknowledging that US state law definitions of 'sale' may encompass sharing with advertising networks and analytics companies for valuable consideration, directing US users to the country-specific addendum.

This analysis describes what McDonald's'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)

This provision discloses a structurally significant tension between the policy's assertion of no monetary sale and the acknowledgment that sharing arrangements with advertising and analytics partners may qualify as sales under California and other US state privacy statutes, triggering opt-out rights and disclosure obligations under those frameworks.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Under this clause, McDonald's discloses that sharing identifiers, pseudonymized identifiers, and behavioral inferences with social media, advertising, and analytics partners may constitute a sale of personal information under certain state laws. The US addendum states that consumers may opt out of this sharing through applicable opt-out mechanisms including the Global Privacy Control signal.

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.
  • Export Your Data
    Use the McDonald's Cookie Settings Tool on the relevant online service to adjust data sharing preferences, or activate the Global Privacy Control in your browser to submit an opt-out of sale and sharing signal.

Cross-platform context

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
We do not sell your personal information for monetary consideration and only share your information as described in this Privacy Statement or as otherwise communicated to you at the time we collect your information. Please note that some US state statutes may define a "sale" to include sharing of personal information with third parties for valuable consideration. Many companies have common arrangements with online advertising networks and analytics companies that may be considered sales under these definitions. Please reference our US Country Specific Addendum (below) for more information.

Excerpt from McDonald's's Privacy Policy

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (regulatory & governance intelligence)

1. REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision directly implicates the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and its amendment by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), which define sale broadly to include sharing for valuable consideration including non-monetary consideration. Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, and other US state privacy statutes with similar definitions are also engaged. The California Privacy Protection Agency and California Attorney General have enforcement authority. The FTC Act engages this provision with respect to whether the disclosure is adequate to satisfy consumer protection standards. 2. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: High. The explicit acknowledgment that advertising network and analytics sharing arrangements may qualify as sales under state law definitions requires ongoing opt-out infrastructure, GPC signal processing, and data sale disclosure compliance across all US-facing digital properties. Failure to honor opt-out requests or GPC signals as required by California law carries enforcement risk from the California Privacy Protection Agency. 3. JURISDICTION FLAGS: California creates the highest exposure given CPRA enforcement authority and specific requirements for opt-out of sale and sharing. Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, Texas, and other states with comprehensive privacy laws create additional compliance obligations. Illinois, New York, and Washington may also engage depending on data categories shared. 4. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Data sharing agreements with advertising networks, social media platforms, and analytics vendors should be reviewed to determine whether they qualify as sale or sharing arrangements under applicable state definitions, and whether downstream use limitations and contractual obligations consistent with opt-out requests are in place. 5. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Compliance teams should confirm that GPC signal detection and processing is operationally implemented across all US digital properties, that opt-out requests are honored within legally required timeframes, and that the data sale and sharing disclosure in the US addendum is updated to reflect all current advertising and analytics partner relationships.

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Applicable agencies

  • State AG
    State attorneys general in California and other US states with comprehensive privacy laws have enforcement authority over data sale and sharing opt-out obligations.
    File a complaint →

Provision details

Document information
Document
McDonald's Privacy Policy
Entity
McDonald's
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
July 9, 2026
Last verified
July 9, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-016059
Document ID
CA-D-00627
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
482caf5dfacdab6e9adc5e0136860aef5e3fc638952402bc29047d99f8bea94b
Analysis generated
July 9, 2026 09:29 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: McDonald's
Document: McDonald's Privacy Policy
Record ID: CA-P-016059
Captured: 2026-07-09 09:29:18 UTC
SHA-256: 482caf5dfacdab6e…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/mcdonalds/mcdonalds-privacy-policy/provision/CA-P-016059/data-sharing-as-potential-sale-under-state-law/
Accessed: July 23, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

Other risks in this policy

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does McDonald's's Data Sharing as Potential Sale Under State Law clause do?

This provision discloses a structurally significant tension between the policy's assertion of no monetary sale and the acknowledgment that sharing arrangements with advertising and analytics partners may qualify as sales under California and other US state privacy statutes, triggering opt-out rights and disclosure obligations under those frameworks.

How does this clause affect you?

Under this clause, McDonald's discloses that sharing identifiers, pseudonymized identifiers, and behavioral inferences with social media, advertising, and analytics partners may constitute a sale of personal information under certain state laws. The US addendum states that consumers may opt out of this sharing through applicable opt-out mechanisms including the Global Privacy Control signal.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with McDonald's?

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