Privacy-related policies
Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)
If you implement any Google advertising service on an app, a site or section of a site that is covered by the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), you must:
notify Google of those sites or sections of sites covered by COPPA using the Google Search Console, tag the ad request using the AdMob SDK , or tag your site, app, or ad request for child-directed treatment;
not use interest-based advertising (including remarketing) to target:
past or current activity by users known by you to be under the age of 13 years or
past or current activity on sites directed at users under the age of 13 years.
Identifying users
Publishers must:
not use device fingerprints or locally shared objects (e.g., Flash cookies, Browser Helper Objects, HTML5 local storage) other than HTTP cookies, or user-resettable mobile device identifiers designed for use in advertising. This does not limit the use of IP address for the detection of fraud.
not pass any information to Google data that Google could use or recognize as personally identifiable information; or that permanently identifies a particular device (such as a mobile phone's unique device identifier if such an identifier cannot be reset).
not use our services to identify users or facilitate the merging of personally identifiable information with information previously collected as non-personally identifiable information without robust notice of, and the user's prior affirmative (i.e., opt-in) consent to, that identification or merger. Irrespective of users' consent, you must not attempt to disaggregate data that Google reports in aggregate.
For more information, please refer to Guidance for complying with the Identifying Users Policy.
Use of device and location data
If publishers collect, process, or disclose information that identifies or can be used to infer an end user's precise geographic location, such as sourced from GPS, wifi or cell tower data then,
Publishers must:
disclose to the user, via an interstitial or just-in-time notice, the purposes for which their data may be used (including, ad personalization, analytics, and attribution, as applicable), including that the data may be shared with partners;
obtain express (i.e., opt-in) consent from end users before collecting, processing, or disclosing such information;
send such information to Google in an encrypted state or via an encrypted channel; and
disclose such information collection, processing, or disclosure in all applicable privacy policies.
Privacy disclosures
Publishers must:
have and abide by a privacy policy that clearly discloses any data collection, sharing and usage that takes place on any site, app, email publication or other property as a consequence of your use of Google products. The privacy policy must disclose to users that third parties may be placing and reading cookies on your users' browsers, or using web beacons to collect information as a result of ad serving on your website.
To comply with this disclosure obligation with respect to Google’s use of data, you have the option to display a prominent link to How Google uses data when you use our partners’ sites or apps.
Cookies on Google domains
Publishers must:
not set a cookie on Google's domains or modify, intercept or delete cookies set on Google's domains.
Personalized advertising
You must not use Google's platform products or Google ad code to select or target personalized ads, or to collect or use audience data such as cookie lists, based on:
past or current activity by users known by you to be under the age of 13 years;
past or current activity by users on sites or apps or areas of sites or apps directed at children under the age of 13 years;
past or current activity by users on adult, gambling, or government agency sites or apps; or
other inferred or actual sensitive information, including, without limitation:
health or medical history or information, such as from sites or apps that market to a specific health-related group,
negative financial status or other detailed information pertaining to a person's finances, such as information indicating that a user has a low credit rating or high debt load,
racial or ethnic origins, such as from sites or apps that collect affirmative racial or ethnic identification from visitors,
religious beliefs or other beliefs of a similar nature, such as from sites or apps that collect people’s affirmative information on religion or religious beliefs,
the commission or alleged commission of any crime, such as information indicating that a user has a criminal record,
political affiliation, such as information indicating a user’s political opinion or political ideology,
trade union membership, such as a user’s visit to a trade union’s site or app, or
sexual behavior or orientation, such as sexual orientation inferred from a user’s visit to a particular site.
In the U.S. and Canada, the following categories of products or services cannot be targeted to audiences based on gender, age, parental status, marital status, or ZIP code:
housing, such as housing listings for sale or rental, real estate services.
employment, such as ads for jobs, job recruitment sites, job listing sites. A subset of predetermined U.S. government advertisers promoting employment are permitted to target restricted audiences under specific conditions. If the targeting is based on a bona fide occupational qualification for a government job, which is defined under U.S. law as a qualification that is reasonably necessary for normal function of the job, these identified U.S. government advertisers may target restricted audiences.
offers relating to credit, banking products and services, or certain financial planning and management services. Examples: Credit cards and loans, banking and checking accounts, debt management products.
If you use Google's platform products or Google ad code for personalized advertising:
you must have all rights necessary to use audience data such as cookie lists.
advertisers must attach notices to advertisements to make clear that they are interest-based (e.g., by using an "AdChoices" icon); and
all parties must comply with applicable Internet advertising industry guidelines (e.g., the Self-Regulatory Principles for Online Behavioral Advertising of the Digital Advertising Alliance, or IAB Europe's EU Framework for Online Behavioral Advertising).
Adult themes in family content
We do not allow content that:
is made to appear appropriate for a family audience, but contains adult themes including sex, violence, or other depictions of children or popular children’s characters that are unsuitable for a general audience.
Child sexual abuse and exploitation
We do not allow content that:
Sexually exploits or abuses children or content that promotes the sexual exploitation or abuse of children. This includes all child sexual abuse materials.
Endangers children. Including but not limited to:
‘Child grooming’ (for example, befriending a child online to facilitate, either online or offline, sexual contact and/or exchanging sexual imagery with that child);
‘Sextortion’ (for example, threatening or blackmailing a child by using real or alleged access to a child’s intimate images);
Sexualization of a minor (for example, content that depicts, encourages or promotes the sexual abuse or exploitation of children); and
Trafficking of a child (for example, advertising or solicitation of a child for commercial sexual exploitation).
We will take appropriate action, which may include reporting to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and disabling accounts. If you believe a child is in danger of or has been subject to abuse, exploitation, or trafficking, contact the police immediately. If you have concerns a child is being or was being endangered in connection with our products, you can
Sexually explicit content
We do not allow content that:
includes graphic sexual text, image, audio, video, or games.
Examples: Sex acts such as genital, anal, and/or oral sex; masturbation; cartoon porn or hentai; graphic nudity
contains non-consensual sexual themes, whether simulated or real.
Examples: Rape, incest, bestiality, necrophilia, snuff, lolita or teen-themed pornography, underage dating
promotes the creation or distribution of content that has been altered or generated to be sexually explicit or contain nudity.
Examples: site or app that claims to generate deepfake pornography, instructions on how to create deepfake pornography, endorsing or comparing deepfake pornography services
Compensated sexual acts
We do not allow content that:
may be interpreted as promoting a sexual act in exchange for compensation.
Examples: Prostitution; companionship and escort services; intimate massage; cuddling sites; compensated dating or sexual arrangements where one participant is expected to provide money, gifts, financial support, mentorship, or other valuable benefits to another participant such as "Sugar" dating
Deceptive practices
We do not allow:
enticing users to engage with content under false or unclear pretenses.
attempting to steal personal information or trick users into sharing personal information
Example: Social engineering like phishing
promoting content, products, or services using false, dishonest, or deceptive claims.
Examples: "Get Rich Quick" schemes
coordinating with other sites or accounts and concealing or misrepresenting your identity or other material details about yourself, where your content relates to politics, social issues or matters of public concern.
directing content about politics, social issues, or matters of public concern to users in a country other than your own, if you misrepresent or conceal your country of origin or other material details about yourself.
Manipulated media
We do not allow content that:
deceives users through manipulated media related to politics, social issues, or matters of public concern.
Misrepresentative content
Misleading representation
We do not allow content that:
misrepresents, misstates, or conceals information about the publisher, the content creator, the purpose of the content, or the content itself.
falsely implies having an affiliation with, or endorsement by, another individual, organization, product, or service.
Examples: Impersonating Google products, misusing company logos
Unreliable and harmful claims
We do not allow content that:
makes claims that are demonstrably false and could significantly undermine participation or trust in an electoral or democratic process.
Examples: information about public voting procedures, political candidate eligibility based on age or birthplace, election results, or census participation that contradicts official government records
promotes harmful health claims, or relates to a current, major health crisis and contradicts authoritative scientific consensus.
Examples: Anti-vaccine advocacy, denial of the existence of medical conditions such as AIDS or Covid-19, gay conversion therapy
contradicts authoritative scientific consensus on climate change.
Animal cruelty
We do not allow content that:
promotes cruelty or gratuitous violence towards animals.
Examples: Promoting animal cruelty for entertainment purposes, such as cock or dog fighting
promotes the sale of products obtained from endangered or threatened species.
Examples: Sale of tigers, shark fins, elephant ivory, tiger skins, rhino horn, dolphin oil
