Google AdSense privacy policy requirements

The required AdSense disclosures

The AdSense Help Center article on required content for privacy lists the disclosures publishers must make. Your policy must state that third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to your website or other websites. It must state that Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to your users based on their visit to your sites and other sites on the Internet. It must tell users they may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google's Ads Settings, or opt out of some third-party vendors' use of cookies for personalized advertising through an industry opt-out page. If other ad networks or vendors serve ads on your site, disclose them too.

Consent in the EEA, UK, and Switzerland

Google's EU user consent policy requires publishers using Google products to obtain end users' consent for the use of cookies or other local storage where legally required and for the collection, sharing, and use of personal data for ads personalization. Publishers must clearly identify each party that may collect, receive, or use end users' personal data, keep records of consent, and give users clear instructions for revoking consent. Google publishes separate requirements about the consent management tools publishers may use in these regions; check the current AdSense Help Center guidance before launching.

US state opt-out rights

Personalized ads served through AdSense involve disclosing browsing information to Google and its partners for cross-context behavioral advertising, which California treats as sharing and other states treat as targeted advertising. If those laws apply to you, the policy should say so, explain the opt-out link or method, and state how Global Privacy Control and similar signals are handled. Google offers restricted data processing settings that can change how ads are served for opted-out users; describe the setting you use.

Where to put the disclosures

The AdSense disclosures normally sit in the advertising and cookies section of your privacy policy, linked from every page, typically in the footer. If you use a separate cookie policy, include the same statements there or link between the documents. The link should work without scripts and on mobile layouts, because reviewers and users will look for it.

Children and sensitive content

If your site is directed to children or you know some visitors are children, personalized ads raise COPPA and platform policy issues, and Google provides settings to treat content as child-directed. The amended COPPA Rule requires separate verifiable parental consent before disclosing children's personal information to third parties, such as for targeted advertising, unless an exception applies. Sites in sensitive categories should also check Google's publisher policies for restricted ad categories.

Keep behavior aligned with the policy

Test the site with consent declined and with an opt-out signal enabled, and confirm that ad requests switch to non-personalized or limited modes as your policy describes. Update the policy when you add ad partners, header bidding, or new analytics integrations, because each can add vendors and cookies.

Other ad networks on the same page

Many publishers combine AdSense with other networks, affiliate programs, or header bidding partners. Each can bring its own cookies and data partners, and some require their own disclosures. List the networks you use and link their privacy or opt-out pages.

Generating an AdSense-ready policy

In the questionnaire, choose the website platform, set the advertising level to personalized or contextual as appropriate, select Google Ads under advertising providers, and describe your consent behavior and preference controls. Where US state modules apply, confirm the sale or sharing answer. Then check that the generated advertising section includes the AdSense-specific statements above, and add them if your configuration requires additional vendors.

Common questions