Cookies

Some or all of the cookies or other technologies described below may be stored in your browser, app or device. To manage how cookies are used, including to decline the use of certain cookies, you can visit g.co/privacy tools. You can also manage cookies in your browser (although browsers on mobile devices may not provide this visibility). Apps and other technologies used to identify devices can be managed in your device settings or in an app’s settings.

working capacity
Cookies and other technologies used for functionality allow you to access features that are fundamental to a service. Things considered fundamental to a service include preferences, such as your preferred language, information related to your session, such as the contents of a shopping cart, and product customizations that help maintain and improve that service.

Some cookies and other technologies are used to store your preferences. For example, most people who use Google services have a cookie called ‘NID’ or ‘ENID’ in their browser, depending on their cookie preferences. These cookies are used to remember your preferences and other information, such as your preferred language, how many results you prefer to show on a search results page (for example, 10 or 20), and whether you use Google’s You want to turn on the Safe Search filter. Each ‘NID’ cookie expires 6 months after the user’s last use, while an ‘ENID’ cookie lasts for 13 months. Cookies called ‘VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE’ and ‘YEC’ serve a similar purpose for YouTube and are also used to detect and resolve issues with the service. These cookies last for 6 months and 13 months respectively.

Other cookies and technologies are used to maintain and enhance your experience during a specific session. For example, YouTube uses a ‘PREF’ cookie to store information such as your favorite page configuration and playback preferences such as clear autoplay options, shuffle content and player size. For YouTube Music, these preferences include volume, repeat mode, and autoplay. This cookie expires 8 months after the user’s last use. The cookie ‘pm sess’ also helps maintain your browser session and lasts for 30 minutes.

Cookies and other technologies may also be used to improve the performance of Google services. For example, the ‘CGIC’ cookie improves the delivery of search results by auto-completing search queries based on a user’s initial input. This cookie lasts for 6 months.

Google uses a ‘consent’ cookie to store information about a user’s cookie choices, which lasts for 2 years. Another cookie, ‘SOCS’, lasts for 13 months and is also used to store status regarding the user’s cookie choices.

Security
Cookies and other technologies used for security help to authenticate users, prevent fraud, and protect you when you interact with a Service.

Cookies and other technologies used to authenticate users help ensure that only the rightful owner of an account can access that account. For example, cookies named ‘SID’ and ‘HSID’ contain a digitally signed and encrypted record of a user’s Google Account ID and latest sign-in time. The combination of these cookies allows Google to prevent many types of attacks, such as attempts to steal the content of forms submitted to Google services.

Some cookies and other technologies are used to prevent spam, fraud, and abuse. For example, ‘pm_sess’, ‘YSC’ and ‘AEC’ cookies ensure that requests within a browsing session are made by the user, and not by other sites. These cookies prevent malicious sites from acting on a user’s behalf without the user’s knowledge. The ‘pm_sess’ cookie lasts for 30 minutes, while the ‘AEC’ cookie lasts for 6 months. The ‘YSC’ cookie lasts for the duration of the user’s browsing session.

personalization
Cookies and other technologies used for personalization enhance your experience by providing personalized content and features based on your settings at g.co/privacy tools or your app and device settings.

Personalized content and features include things like more relevant results and recommendations, a customized YouTube homepage, and ads tailored to your interests. For example, the ‘VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE’ cookie can enable personalized recommendations on YouTube based on past views and searches. And as you type a search term, the ‘NID’ cookie enables personalized autocomplete features in search. These cookies expire 6 months after the user’s last use. Another personalization cookie, ‘UUL’, 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 turn on location for your browser. The ‘UULE’ cookie lasts for 6 hours.

Non-personalized content and features differ from personalized content and features because they are influenced by things like the content you’re currently viewing, your current Google search, and your general location.

Managing cookies in your browser
Most browsers allow you to manage how cookies are set and used while you browse, and to clear cookies and browsing data. Additionally, your browser may have settings that allow you to manage cookies on a site-by-site basis. For example, Google Chrome’s settings at chrome://settings/cookies allow you to delete existing cookies, allow or block all cookies, and set cookie preferences for websites. Google Chrome also offers Incognito mode, which deletes your browsing history and clears cookies on your device after you close your incognito window.

Managing other technologies in your apps and devices
Most mobile devices and applications allow you to manage how other technologies are set up and used, such as unique identifiers used to identify the browser, app, or device. For example, Advertising ID or Apple’s Advertising Identifier on Android devices can be managed in your device’s Settings, while app-specific identifiers can usually be managed in an app’s Settings.