Google offers a Privacy Checkup tool to review and change privacy settings
At the top of the policy Google invites you to take the Privacy Checkup if you want to change your privacy settings. The privacy-controls section later describes the same tool as an opportunity to review and adjust important privacy settings. The policy supplies only the link and this description; what settings the tool actually exposes is not described in this document.
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Privacy Checkup
Looking to change your privacy settings?
Take the Privacy Checkup
which provides an opportunity to review and adjust important privacy settings
Qualifications & exceptions
The Privacy Checkup is offered as a tool for changing settings; the policy does not say which settings it covers.
Not stated here
The content of the Privacy Checkup page is not supplied.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
You can use many services signed out, use Incognito, and adjust settings on what Google saves to your account
Google says you can manage your privacy through how you use its services. You can sign up for a Google Account to create and manage content like emails and photos or to get more relevant search results, but many services, such as Google Search and watching YouTube videos, work when you are signed out or have no account at all. You can also browse in a private mode like Chrome Incognito, which Google describes as helping keep your browsing private from other people who use your device, not from Google. Across its services, privacy settings such as history and personalization controls let you choose whether Google saves some types of data to your Google Account and how it uses that data.
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you can sign up for a Google Account if you want to create and manage content like emails and photos, or see more relevant search results. And you can use many Google services when you’re signed out or without creating an account at all, like searching on Google or watching YouTube videos.
which helps keep your browsing private from other people who use your device
you can adjust your privacy settings (like history and personalization controls) to make choices about whether we save some types of data to your Google account and how we use it
Qualifications & exceptions
Incognito mode is described only as keeping browsing private from other people who use your device.
The settings control whether Google saves some types of data to your account and how it uses them; the policy does not say here that all data collection can be switched off.
Not stated here
The linked Chrome Incognito help page is not supplied.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
You can find and manage activity saved in your history through your Google Account
Google says you can visit your Google Account to find and manage the activity information that is saved in your history, and links to the account page. The policy does not describe here what management actions are available; those are covered in the privacy-controls section.
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You can visit your Google Account to find and manage activity information that’s saved in your history.
Go to Google Account
Qualifications & exceptions
Applies to activity information saved in your history.
Not stated here
The linked Google Account page is not supplied.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
You have choices about collection and use: key account controls, the Privacy Checkup, and product-specific settings
Google says you have choices regarding the information it collects and how it is used. This section describes what it calls key controls for managing your privacy across its services, and points again to the Privacy Checkup for reviewing and adjusting important privacy settings. Google adds that it also offers specific privacy settings inside its products, described in a Product Privacy Guide that is referenced but not part of this source.
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You have choices regarding the information we collect and how it's used
This section describes key controls for managing your privacy across our services.
In addition to these tools, we also offer specific privacy settings in our products — you can learn more in our Product Privacy Guide.
Go to Privacy Checkup
Qualifications & exceptions
Product-specific privacy settings exist beyond the controls listed here; they are described only in the unsupplied Product Privacy Guide.
Not stated here
The Product Privacy Guide and the Privacy Checkup page are not supplied.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
Signed in, you can review and update information inside each service and in your Google Account
When you are signed in, you can always review and update information by visiting the services you use; Google gives Photos and Drive as examples of services designed to help you manage specific types of saved content. Google has also built your Google Account as a place to review and control information saved there, and the following cards list what it includes.
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Managing, reviewing, and updating your information
When you’re signed in, you can always review and update information by visiting the services you use. For example, Photos and Drive are both designed to help you manage specific types of content you’ve saved with Google.
We also built a place for you to review and control information saved in your Google Account.
Qualifications & exceptions
Applies when you are signed in.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
History and personalization controls decide whether YouTube, Search and other activity is saved and used to personalize
Across many services you can adjust history and personalization controls to choose whether Google saves some types of data in your Google Account and how it uses that data to personalize your experience. With YouTube History on, the videos you watch and your searches are saved so you get better recommendations and can resume where you left off. Saving Search, Maps and Shopping activity to Search Services History lets you resume an AI Mode interaction or see past searches as Autocomplete suggestions. When Personalized Recommendations in Search services is on, those services can give results, curated feeds and AI responses personalized from information in your account, including Search Services History; the definitions add that this control, when enabled while signed in, gives results based on your previous searches and activity from other Google services. With Web & App Activity on, activity from some other Google services is saved for more personalized experiences, and a subsetting controls whether information about your activity on other sites, apps and devices that use Google services is saved there and used to improve Google services. The controls are reached through My Activity and Personalization Settings.
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Privacy controls
Personalization and Activity Controls
Across many of our services, you can adjust history and personalization controls to make choices about whether we save some types of data in your Google Account and how we use it to personalize your experience. For example, if you have YouTube History turned on, the videos you watch and the things you search for are saved in your account so you can get better recommendations and remember where you left off. Saving activity from services like Search, Maps, and Shopping to your Search Services History lets you do things like resume an AI Mode interaction where you left off or see past searches as Autocomplete suggestions. When Personalized Recommendations in Search services is on, these services can provide results, curated feeds, and AI responses that are personalized to you based on info in your Google Account, including Search Services History. And if you have Web & App Activity turned on, your activity from some other Google services are saved in your account so you can get more personalized experiences. Web & App Activity also has a subsetting that lets you control whether some
is saved with Web & App Activity in your Google Account and used to improve Google services.
Go to
when you’re signed in to your Google Account and have the Personalized Recommendations in Search services control enabled, you can get more relevant search results that are based on your previous searches and activity from other Google services
Qualifications & exceptions
Each named control (YouTube History, Search Services History, Personalized Recommendations, Web & App Activity and its subsetting) governs its own data; the policy does not say here what is saved when a control is off.
Across many services, not all services, is the stated scope.
Not stated here
The linked help page about other-site activity and the My Activity and Personalization Settings pages are not supplied.
In My Ad Center you can change interests, choose whether personal info personalizes ads, and switch off ad services
Ad settings let you manage your preferences about the ads shown to you on Google and on sites and apps that partner with Google to show ads. You can modify your interests, choose whether your personal information is used to make ads more relevant to you, and turn certain advertising services on or off. The control is reached through My Ad Center.
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Ad settings
Manage your preferences about the ads shown to you on Google and on sites and apps that partner with Google to show ads. You can modify your interests, choose whether your personal information is used to make ads more relevant to you, and turn on or off certain advertising services.
Go to My Ad Center
Qualifications & exceptions
Covers ads on Google and on partner sites and apps; the policy says certain advertising services can be turned off, not all.
Not stated here
Which advertising services can be turned off is not stated here; My Ad Center is not supplied.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
About You lets you manage personal info in your account and control who sees it across Google services
The About You control lets you manage personal information in your Google Account and control who can see it across Google services. The policy does not list here which fields are covered.
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About you
Manage personal info in your Google Account and control who can see it across Google services.
Go to About You
Not stated here
The About You page is not supplied.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
My Activity lets you review signed-in activity saved to your account by date and topic and delete some or all of it
My Activity lets you review and control data saved to your Google Account when you are signed in and using Google services, such as searches you have done or your visits to Google Play. You can browse by date and by topic, and delete part or all of your activity. It is listed among the ways to review and update your information.
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Ways to review & update your information
My Activity
My Activity allows you to review and control data that’s saved to your Google Account when you’re signed in and using Google services, like searches you’ve done or your visits to Google Play. You can browse by date and by topic, and delete part or all of your activity.
Go to My Activity
Qualifications & exceptions
Covers data saved to your account while signed in.
Not stated here
The My Activity page is not supplied.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
Google Dashboard lets you manage information associated with specific products
Google Dashboard is the control for managing information associated with specific Google products. The policy gives no further detail here.
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Google Dashboard
Google Dashboard allows you to manage information associated with specific products.
Go to Dashboard
Not stated here
The Dashboard page is not supplied.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
The Personal Info page lets you manage contact information such as name, email and phone number
Your personal information control lets you manage your contact information, such as your name, email and phone number, through the Personal Info page of your Google Account.
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Your personal information
Manage your contact information, such as your name, email, and phone number.
Go to Personal Info
Not stated here
The Personal Info page is not supplied.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
Signed out, you can turn off search customization, pause or delete YouTube history, and set ad preferences
When you are signed out, you can manage information associated with your browser or device. The listed controls are signed-out search customization, which lets you choose whether your search activity is used to offer more relevant results and recommendations; YouTube settings, which let you pause and delete your YouTube Search History and YouTube Watch History; and Ad Settings, which let you manage your preferences about ads shown on Google and on sites and apps that partner with Google to show ads.
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When you’re signed out, you can manage information associated with your browser or device, including:
Choose whether your search activity is used to offer you more relevant results and recommendations.
YouTube settings: Pause and delete your
your preferences about the ads shown to you on Google and on sites and apps that partner with Google to show ads.
Qualifications & exceptions
These controls apply to information associated with your browser or device while signed out.
The list is introduced with including; it is not stated as exhaustive.
Not stated here
The linked signed-out customization, YouTube history and ad settings pages are not supplied.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
You can export a copy of the content in your Google Account to back it up or use it elsewhere
The section on exporting, removing and deleting information opens by stating that you can export a copy of the content in your Google Account if you want to back it up or use it with a service outside Google. The rest of that section follows in the next part of the document.
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Exporting, removing & deleting your information
You can export a copy of content in your Google Account if you want to back it up or use it with a service outside of Google.
Qualifications & exceptions
Applies to content in your Google Account.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
You can export a copy of your Google Account content for backup or use with an outside service
Under exporting, removing and deleting your information, Google says you can export a copy of the content in your Google Account if you want to back it up or use it with a service outside Google, and links to an export tool. The policy does not say here which content types are exportable or in what formats.
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You can export a copy of content in your Google Account if you want to back it up or use it with a service outside of Google.
Export your data
Exporting, removing & deleting your information
Qualifications & exceptions
Applies to content in your Google Account.
Not stated here
The export tool page is not supplied; covered content types and formats are not stated here.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
You can delete content from specific services, specific items via My Activity, whole products, or your entire account
To delete your information, Google lists four routes: delete your content from specific Google services; search for and delete specific items from your account using My Activity; delete specific Google products, including your information associated with those products; or delete your entire Google Account. A combined delete page is linked. What happens to deleted data afterwards is described in the retention section, not here.
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To delete your information, you can:
Delete your content from specific Google services
Search for and then delete specific items from your account using
Delete specific Google products
including your information associated with those products
Delete your entire Google Account
Delete your information
Qualifications & exceptions
Deleting a product deletes your information associated with that product, as the policy states; the timing of removal is covered in the retention section.
Not stated here
The linked My Activity, delete-products, delete-account and delete-information pages are not supplied.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
Inactive Account Manager lets you give someone access to parts of your account if you cannot use it
Inactive Account Manager allows you to give someone else access to parts of your Google Account in case you are unexpectedly unable to use your account. The policy does not say here which parts can be shared or what counts as inactivity.
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allows you to give someone else access to parts of your Google Account in case you’re unexpectedly unable to use your account.
Qualifications & exceptions
Access is to parts of your account and applies in case you are unexpectedly unable to use it.
Not stated here
The Inactive Account Manager page is not supplied; inactivity conditions and shareable parts are not stated here.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
Signed in or not, browser cookie settings and device settings limit collection, but services rely on cookies to work
Google lists further ways to control the information it collects whether or not you are signed in to a Google Account. Browser settings: you can configure your browser to indicate when Google sets a cookie, or to block all cookies from a specific domain or from all domains; Google reminds you that its services rely on cookies to function properly, for things like remembering your language preferences. The cookie definition repeats that you can configure your browser to refuse all cookies or be told when one is sent, and that some website features or services may not function properly without cookies. Device-level settings: your device may have controls that determine what information Google collects, for example modifying location settings on an Android device.
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There are other ways to control the information Google collects whether or not you’re signed in to a Google Account, including:
Browser settings: For example, you can configure your browser to indicate when Google has set a cookie in your browser. You can also configure your browser to block all cookies from a specific domain or all domains. But remember that our services rely on cookies to function properly, for things like remembering your language preferences.
Device-level settings: Your device may have controls that determine what information we collect.
You can configure your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, some website features or services may not function properly without cookies.
Qualifications & exceptions
Blocking cookies may stop services working properly; this is Google's stated trade-off, not a prohibition.
Device-level controls are stated as may have and depend on your device; the Android location example is linked, not described.
Not stated here
The linked Android location settings page is not supplied.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
You can export a copy of your information from your Google Account at any time
The standalone exporting and deleting section states that you can export a copy of your information or delete it from your Google Account at any time, and repeats that you can export a copy of your account content to back it up or use it with a service outside Google through the linked export tool. The Google Account definition adds that you can edit or delete your account at any time through your account settings.
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Exporting & deleting your information
You can export a copy of your information or delete it from your Google Account at any time
You can export a copy of content in your Google Account if you want to back it up or use it with a service outside of Google.
Export your data
You can edit or delete your account at any time through your Google Account settings.
Qualifications & exceptions
Stated as available at any time for your Google Account.
Not stated here
The export tool page is not supplied.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
To delete, you can remove content from services, delete items in My Activity, delete products, or delete the account
The standalone section repeats the four deletion routes: delete your content from specific Google services; search for and delete specific items from your account using My Activity; delete specific Google products, including your information associated with those products; or delete your entire Google Account, with a combined delete page linked. The retention section that follows explains what happens after deletion.
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To delete your information, you can:
Delete your content from specific Google services
Search for and then delete specific items from your account using
including your information associated with those products
Delete your entire Google Account
Delete your information
Qualifications & exceptions
Deleting a product deletes your information associated with it; timing of removal follows the deletion process described in the retention cards.
Not stated here
The linked deletion pages are not supplied.
Account & Service Control · Procedure
You exercise these rights through account tools while signed in, or by contacting Google, and can ask it to reconsider
Google says the choices in Your privacy controls let you access, review, update and delete your information and export and download a copy of it, and that you can control what information it uses to show you ads, or turn off personalized ads, in My Ad Center. When you use these tools, Google validates your request by verifying that you are signed in to your Google Account. For questions or requests about your rights under U.S. state privacy laws, you or your authorized agent can also contact Google through a linked page. If you disagree with the decision on your request, you can ask Google to reconsider by responding to its email. Google also points to more information on its handling of CCPA requests.
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These tools allow you to access, review, update and delete your information, as well as
a copy of it. You can also control what information we use to show you ads, or turn off personalized ads, by visiting
When you use these tools, we’ll validate your request by verifying that you’re signed in to your Google Account. If you have questions or requests related to your rights under U.S. state privacy laws, you (or your authorized agent) can also
And if you disagree with the decision on your request, you can ask Google to reconsider it by responding to our email.
We also provide more information on Google’s handling of CCPA requests.
Qualifications & exceptions
Requests through the tools are validated by your being signed in; the policy does not describe verification for signed-out or agent requests here.
Reconsideration is requested by replying to Google's email.
Not stated here
The contact page, the CCPA request information and the export page are not supplied.
Account & Service Control · Context
Further resources: Google Account settings, Privacy Checkup, safety center, Teen Privacy Guide, technology pages
Google highlights resources for learning about its practices and privacy settings: your Google Account as the home of many account settings; the Privacy Checkup, which guides you through key privacy settings; Google's safety center on built-in security, privacy controls and family tools; Google's Teen Privacy Guide answering common privacy questions; Privacy & Terms for more context on this policy and the Terms of Service; and Technologies pages on how Google uses cookies, technologies used for advertising, and how Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services. These are references; none of the pages is part of this source.
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Other useful resources
The following links highlight useful resources for you to learn more about our practices and privacy settings.
is home to many of the settings you can use to manage your account
guides you through key privacy settings for your Google Account
helps you learn more about our built-in security, privacy controls, and tools to help set digital ground rules for your family online
provides answers to some of the top questions we get asked about privacy
Privacy & Terms provides more context regarding this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Service
Technologies includes more information about:
How Google uses cookies
Technologies used for Advertising
How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services
Not stated here
The linked resource pages are not supplied.
Account & Service Control · Context
A Google Account is created with name, email and password, authenticates you, and can be edited or deleted anytime
You may access some Google services by signing up for a Google Account and providing some personal information, typically your name, email address and a password. Google uses this account information to authenticate you when you access its services and to protect your account from unauthorized access by others. You can edit or delete your account at any time through your Google Account settings.
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Google Account
and providing us with some personal information (typically your name, email address, and a password). This account information is used to authenticate you when you access Google services and protect your account from unauthorized access by others. You can edit or delete your account at any time through your Google Account settings.
Qualifications & exceptions
An account is needed for some services, not all.
Account & Service Control · Company practice
If Google detects spam, malware, illegal content or other abuse, it may disable your account or report to authorities
When Google detects spam, malware, illegal content, including child sexual abuse and exploitation material, and other forms of abuse on its systems in violation of its policies, it may disable your account or take other appropriate action. In certain circumstances it may also report the violation to appropriate authorities. The detection itself comes from the automated content analysis described in the purposes section.
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detect abuse
When we detect spam, malware, illegal content (including
, and other forms of abuse on our systems in violation of our policies, we may disable your account or take other appropriate action. In certain circumstances, we may also report the violation to appropriate authorities.
Qualifications & exceptions
Action follows abuse on Google's systems in violation of its policies; both account disabling and reporting are stated as may.
Reporting to authorities applies in certain circumstances, which the policy does not specify.
Not stated here
Which authorities, and in which circumstances, are not stated; the linked child-protection page is not supplied.
Account & Service Control · Company practice
An added phone number may be used, by your settings, for account recovery, helping people find you, and ad relevance
If you add your phone number to your account, it can be used for different purposes across Google services depending on your settings: to help you access your account if you forget your password, to help people find and connect with you, and to make the ads you see more relevant to you. A help page about these uses is linked but not supplied.
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phone number
If you add your phone number to your account, it can be used for different purposes across Google services, depending on your settings. For example, your phone number can be used to help you access your account if you forget your password, help people find and connect with you, and make the ads you see more relevant to you.
Qualifications & exceptions
Uses depend on your settings; ad relevance is one of the listed uses.
Not stated here
Which settings govern each use is not stated here.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
Deleting from specific services includes removing a Blogger blog, a Google Site you own, or Play Store reviews
As examples of deleting content from specific Google services, you can delete your blog from Blogger or a Google Site you own from Google Sites, and you can delete reviews you have left on apps, games and other content in the Play Store. The linked help pages are not supplied.
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specific Google services
For example, you can delete
from Google Sites. You can also delete
you’ve left on apps, games, and other content in the Play Store.
Not stated here
The linked Blogger, Sites and Play review help pages are not supplied.