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.
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The provision establishes that location data collection operates through user-configurable device and account settings rather than a single blanket authorization. This creates a tiered system where the scope of location data collection depends on which specific settings users activate, and the company uses collected location data to provide and improve services.
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.
View change record →The removal of Location History as a named feature and user control mechanism represents a less transparent approach to location data collection, though the content was effectively merged into a more technical 'Location Data Collection' provision.
View full change record →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 other platforms handle this
We collect information about your approximate and precise location. If you permit us to do so, we can collect your precise location from your device. We also use your IP address to determine your general location. You can use Snap Map to share your location with your friends and to see the locations...
Location data. Data about your device's location, which can be either precise or imprecise. For example, we collect location data using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) (e.g., GPS) and data about nearby cell towers and Wi-Fi hotspots. Location can also be inferred from a device's IP address...
We also collect information about your approximate location based on your device and network information, such as SIM card region, IP address, and device system settings. We also collect information, such as tourist attractions, shops, or other points of interest, if you choose to add the location t...
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"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
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.
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The provision establishes that location data collection operates through user-configurable device and account settings rather than a single blanket authorization. This creates a tiered system where the scope of location data collection depends on which specific settings users activate, and the company uses collected location data to provide and improve services.
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.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 3 platforms. See the full comparison.
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