technologies/cookies
Google's Cookies page was updated in two places: it now admits that 'personalization' doesn't rely only on cookies, but also on things like your IP address or info you previously shared with a site, and it clarifies that rejecting cookies for personalization does NOT stop personalized ads — you have to separately turn off personalized ads for that to happen.
Personalization can now use your IP address and previously shared info, not just cookies
The document now openly says that besides cookies, things like your IP address or information you gave the site before can be used to personalize what you see. This means blocking or deleting cookies alone may not 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 — Review and adjust your settings at g.co/privacytools; note that clearing cookies alone may not fully stop personalization.
Rejecting cookies doesn't stop personalized ads anymore
Before, the page implied that if you rejected personalization cookies, you'd mainly see non-personalized content (just shaped by context like your location). Now it explicitly says you may still get personalized ads through other identifiers unless you take a separate step to turn off personalized ads. This weakens the effectiveness of cookie rejection as a privacy control.
“you may continue to see personalized ads using other identifiers unless you turn off personalized ads”
What you can do — Turn off personalized ads directly at myadcenter.google.com or adssettings.google.com/partnerads — rejecting cookies alone will not stop ad personalization.
| 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 non-cookie identifiers The page used to say only 'cookies and similar technologies' are used to show you personalized content. It now says your IP address or information you previously gave the site can also be used for this, even without a cookie. ± CHANGEDMinor spacing fix A missing space between two sentences in the Personalization section was fixed. No meaning changed. | ||
| 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 cookies no longer guarantees you avoid personalized ads Previously the page only said non-personalized content might still be shaped by context (like your location or language) even if you reject personalization cookies. Now it adds that you may still see personalized ads through other identifiers unless you separately turn off personalized ads. | ||