How Google Uses Cookies
Google updated its Cookies page to clarify that personalization relies on more than cookies alone — it now explicitly includes your IP address and previously shared information — and reveals that rejecting personalization cookies does not stop personalized ads unless you separately turn off ad personalization.
Personalization now openly includes your IP address and past shared info
Google now says it uses things like your IP address and information you've shared with it before — not just cookies — to decide what personalized content to show you. This means blocking or deleting cookies alone may not fully stop this kind of personalization.
“Cookies (or other identifiers like your IP address or information you previously shared with the website) are used for the purpose of showing personalized content.”
What you can do — Manage personalization settings directly at g.co/privacytools rather than relying only on cookie blocking.
Rejecting cookies doesn't stop personalized ads anymore
The page now admits that even if you reject the cookies used for personalization, Google can still show you personalized ads using other tracking methods. You have to take a separate step to actually turn off ad personalization.
“you may continue to see personalized ads using other identifiers unless you turn off personalized ads”
What you can do — Turn off ad personalization directly at myadcenter.google.com (or g.co/privacytools) — simply rejecting cookies is not enough to stop personalized ads.
| 53 | 53 | Some cookies and similar technologies are used to measure ad and campaign performance and conversion rates for Google ads on a site you visit. For example, cookies that start with '\_gcl\_' are primarily used to help advertisers determine how many times users who click on their ads end up taking an action on their site, such as making a purchase. Depending on your choices and settings, information collected by these cookies and similar technologies may also be used to personalize ads. '\_gcl\_' cookies last for 90 days. Similar technologies such as the Advertising ID on Android devices can also be used to measure ad and campaign performance. You can [manage your Ad ID settings](https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads) on your Android device. |
| 54 | 54 | |
| 55 | 55 | See more information about cookies used for advertising [here](https://business.safety.google/adscookies/). |
| 56 | 56 | |
| 57 | 57 | ## Personalization |
| 58 | 58 | |
| 59 | Cookies and similar technologies are used for the purpose of showing personalized content.These cookies help enhance your experience by providing personalized content and features, depending on your settings at [g.co/privacytools](https://g.co/privacytools) or your app and device settings. | |
| 59 | Cookies (or other identifiers like your IP address or information you previously shared with the website) are used for the purpose of showing personalized content. These cookies help enhance your experience by providing personalized content and features, depending on your settings at [g.co/privacytools](https://g.co/privacytools) or your app and device settings. | |
± CHANGEDPersonalization now explicitly covers IP address and previously shared info, not just cookies The page now says personalization uses 'other identifiers' like your IP address and information you've previously given the site, in addition to cookies. Before, the text only mentioned cookies and similar technologies. | ||
| 60 | 60 | |
| 61 | 61 | Personalized content and features include things like more relevant results and recommendations, a customized YouTube homepage, and ads that are tailored to your interests. For example, the 'VISITOR\_INFO1\_LIVE' cookie may enable personalized recommendations on YouTube based on past views and searches. And the 'NID' cookie enables personalized autocomplete features in Search as you type search terms. These cookies expire 6 months after a user's last use. |
| 62 | 62 | |
| 63 | 63 | Another cookie, 'UULE', sends precise location information from your browser to Google's servers so that Google can show you results that are relevant to your location. The use of this cookie depends on your browser settings and whether you have chosen to have location turned on for your browser. The 'UULE' cookie lasts up to 6 hours. |
| 64 | 64 | |
| 65 | Even if you reject cookies and similar technologies used for personalization, the non-personalized content and features you see may still be influenced by contextual factors, like your location, language, device type, or the content you're currently viewing. | |
| 65 | Even if you reject cookies and similar technologies used for personalization, you may continue to see personalized ads using other identifiers unless you turn off personalized ads. In addition, the non-personalized content and features you see may still be influenced by contextual factors, like your location, language, device type, or the content you're currently viewing. | |
± CHANGEDRejecting personalization cookies no longer guarantees you won't see personalized ads A new sentence says that even if you reject personalization cookies, you can still see personalized ads through other identifiers — you have to separately turn off personalized ads to actually stop them. | ||