YouTube Ads · Google Privacy Policy · View original document ↗

Precise Location Data Collection

High severity Rare · 3 of 325 platforms
Share 𝕏 Share in Share 🔒 PDF
Recent governance activity YouTube Ads recorded 6 documented changes in the last 30 days.
Start monitoring updates
Monitor governance changes for YouTube Ads Create a free account to receive the weekly governance digest and monitor one platform for governance changes.
Create free account No credit card required.
Document Record

What it is

Google collects your precise GPS location through its apps and services when location settings are enabled, stores this as a 'Location History' timeline, and uses it to improve and personalize services including advertising.

This analysis describes what YouTube Ads'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)

Your precise physical movements — where you live, work, worship, receive medical care, or engage in political activity — can be inferred from location history, making this one of the most sensitive data categories Google collects.

Recent Activity

This document changed recently

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 …

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Google can build a detailed map of everywhere you have physically traveled if Location History is enabled, and this data is used across Google services; this location data was the subject of a $391.5 million multi-state AG settlement in 2022 for deceptive location tracking practices.

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, select 'Data & Privacy', then 'Location History', and either pause Location History for future data or select 'Delete all Location History' to remove existing records. You can also set auto-delete to 3 or 18 months.

How other platforms handle this

Uber Medium

Uber collects precise or approximate location data from riders' and order recipients' mobile devices when the Uber app is running in the foreground (app open and on-screen) or background (app open but not on-screen) of their device. Uber collects this data from the time a ride or order is requested ...

Hulu Medium

We may collect the precise geographic location of your device when you use our services. We collect this information with your consent where required by law. You can withdraw your consent at any time by adjusting your device settings to disable location sharing.

PlanetScale Medium

When you visit the Careers portion of our websites, we collect the information that you provide to us in connection with your job application. This includes but is not limited to business and personal contact information, professional credentials and skills, educational and work history and other in...

See all platforms with this clause type →

Monitoring

YouTube Ads has changed this document before.

Receive same-day alerts, structured change summaries, and monitoring for up to 10 platforms.

Start Watcher free trial Or create a free account →
▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
The types of location information we collect depend in part on your device and account settings. For example, you can turn your Android device's location on or off using the device's settings app. You can also turn on Location History if you want to create a private map of where you go with your signed-in devices. And if Location History is on, our products may use it along with other information, to provide and improve a variety of services.

— Excerpt from YouTube Ads's Google Privacy Policy

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: Precise geolocation data constitutes sensitive personal data under GDPR Art. 9 by inference (enabling identification of religious affiliation, health conditions, political activity) and is explicitly listed as sensitive data under CCPA/CPRA §1798.140(ae)(1)(F), requiring opt-in consent under CPRA. The FTC Act Section 5 applies to deceptive practices around location data disclosure. State AG enforcement authority is active in this area.

Full compliance analysis

Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.

Track 1 platform — free Try Watcher free for 14 days

Free: track 1 platform + weekly digest. Watcher: 10 platforms + same-day alerts. No credit card required.

Applicable agencies

  • State AG
    State Attorneys General have demonstrated active enforcement against Google's location tracking practices, as evidenced by the 2022 $391.5M multi-state settlement involving 40 AGs.
    File a complaint →

Applicable regulations

CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
COPPA
United States Federal
Connecticut Data Privacy Act Amendments
US-CT
ePrivacy Directive
European Union
FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal
GDPR
European Union
Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act
US-IN
Kentucky Consumer Data Protection Act
US-KY
Universal Opt-Out Mechanism Expansion 2026
US

Provision details

Document information
Document
Google Privacy Policy
Entity
YouTube Ads
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
March 6, 2026
Last verified
April 9, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-002358
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: YouTube Ads
Document: Google Privacy Policy
Record ID: CA-P-002358
Captured: 2026-03-06 20:40:05 UTC
SHA-256: 7ae2c5414225f559…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/youtube-ads/google-privacy-policy/precise-location-data-collection/
Accessed: May 13, 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

Professional Governance Intelligence

Need to monitor specific governance provisions?

Professional includes provision-level monitoring, governance timelines, regulatory mapping, and audit-ready analysis.

Arbitration clauses AI governance Data rights Indemnification Retention policies
Start Professional free trial

Or start with Watcher →

Built from archived source documents, structured governance mappings, and historical version tracking.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does YouTube Ads's Precise Location Data Collection clause do?

Your precise physical movements — where you live, work, worship, receive medical care, or engage in political activity — can be inferred from location history, making this one of the most sensitive data categories Google collects.

How does this clause affect you?

Google can build a detailed map of everywhere you have physically traveled if Location History is enabled, and this data is used across Google services; this location data was the subject of a $391.5 million multi-state AG settlement in 2022 for deceptive location tracking practices.

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 3 platforms. See the full comparison.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with YouTube Ads?

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