Google RTB Privacy Control Is Now Live: How to Turn It Off

Google Real-Time Bidding RTB Privacy Class Action Settlement 2026 New User Control 200 Million Users Ad Auction Data

Published: March 29, 2026 · Updated: June 15, 2026

Privacy Control Available Now — Launched April 24, 2026 find it in Google's Partner Ads settings · injunctive relief only

Who's Affected 200M+ U.S. Google Account Holders active U.S. accounts whose data flowed through Google's ad auctions

Cash Payout None for Class Members no claim form · the benefit is the new privacy control, not money

Appeal Status Pending in the Ninth Circuit Woodruff v. Google LLC, No. 26-2638 · no order has disabled the control

Update: June 15, 2026

Google launched the settlement-required RTB privacy control on April 24, 2026. Google account holders can now access the setting through Google's Partner Ads page and turn it off to limit the identifying information shared about them during real-time bidding ad auctions. An appeal was filed in the Ninth Circuit on April 28, 2026, but as of this update no publicly identified order has suspended the privacy control, so the setting remains available while the appeal proceeds.

On March 26, 2026, a federal judge in California granted final approval to a class action settlement that requires Google to give users a new way to limit the personal data the company shares about them during online ad auctions. The case, In re Google RTB Consumer Privacy Litigation, was filed nearly five years ago and covers more than 200 million active U.S. Google account holders.

There is no cash payout for class members. The settlement is for injunctive relief only — meaning the benefit is the new privacy control itself, not money. The settlement originally required Google to launch the control within 30 days of final approval and notify eligible users by email; Google introduced the setting on April 24, 2026, and it is available now.

What Is Real-Time Bidding and Why Does It Matter?

Every time you visit a website or open an app that displays ads, an auction happens in milliseconds. Your location, device details, browsing history, and inferred interests are packaged into what is called a "bid request" and broadcast to thousands of advertising companies. They compete for the chance to show you an ad, and the highest bidder wins.

This system is called real-time bidding, or RTB. Google operates one of the largest RTB platforms in the world, processing billions of these auctions every day across approximately 1.3 million publisher websites and apps.

The lawsuit alleged that every company participating in these auctions — not just the winner — receives the personal data contained in the bid request. That means thousands of advertisers and data brokers can collect your information whether or not they actually show you an ad.

What Personal Data Does Google Share in Ad Auctions?

According to court filings, each bid request can include your Google User ID, IP address, device advertising ID, browser information, the URL of the page you are visiting, publisher IDs, and interest-based audience segments. Google categorizes users into more than 5,000 consumer segments and subcategories, including sensitive categories like health conditions, religion, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.

The plaintiffs argued that Google promised users it does not sell their personal information, while the RTB system effectively does exactly that — broadcasting detailed personal profiles to thousands of third parties hundreds of times per day.

What Is the New Privacy Control?

Under the settlement, Google was required to create a new setting referred to as the "RTB Control" and make it accessible through Google's ad settings. Google introduced it on April 24, 2026. When a user enables the protection, the following changes take effect:

• Bid requests will no longer include identifying information such as Google User IDs, device advertising IDs, or IP addresses
• Cookie matching — a method companies use to link their own data profiles to a specific bid request — will be blocked
• Browser user-agent data will be generalized to the major version level, making it harder to fingerprint individual users

In practical terms, enabling the RTB Control makes it significantly harder for advertisers to identify and target you personally during ad auctions. Your data still flows through the system, but it is stripped of the identifiers that connect it to you.

How to Use Google's New RTB Privacy Control

The control became available on April 24, 2026. There is an important quirk in how it works: although the settlement documents describe the privacy protection as enabling or implementing the "RTB Control," in the Google interface you actually activate that protection by turning a partner-ad setting off. In other words, switching the partner-ad control off is what limits the identifying information Google shares about you. According to the plaintiffs' counsel announcement explaining the launch, here is how to do it:

• Visit Google's Partner Ads settings page while signed in to the relevant Google account.
• Locate the partner-ad control. Depending on the interface, it may appear under wording such as "Help advertisers select ads for you" or "Get personalized ads when you visit sites that partner with Google."
• Turn the setting off.
• Confirm that the control shows as disabled. The settlement announcement describes the enabled state as a blue check mark and the disabled state as a gray X.

It helps to be clear about what this setting does and does not do. Turning it off limits the identifying information Google shares through qualifying real-time bidding auctions and affects the Google ads shown on sites and apps that partner with Google. It does not stop all advertising, and it does not stop all online tracking. You will still see ads, and advertising delivered through unrelated advertising platforms is outside the scope of this control. The setting also does not eliminate contextual advertising, which is based on the page you are viewing rather than a personal profile.

A few limitations are worth keeping in mind. For signed-in users, the setting applies when Google can access your account information in the browser you are using. It may not be available in browsers that block third-party cookies. Signed-out settings may apply only to the particular browser or device you adjust them on, so you may need to repeat the change on each device. And while the protection is now live, the settlement requires Google to keep the control available for at least three years, after which Google can decide whether to continue offering it.

There Is No Cash Payout

This settlement does not include a monetary payment to class members. No claim form exists. No check or direct deposit will be sent to you. The seven named class representatives each receive $15,000 for their role in the litigation, but no other class member receives money.

The judge awarded class counsel $21,856,239 in attorneys' fees and $3,488,793 in costs — significantly less than the $128 million originally requested. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers wrote that the settlement is "adequate, but by no means excellent," and questioned how much real-world impact the control will have given that users must affirmatively enable it.

Plaintiffs' experts estimated the value of the RTB Control to users could be between $1.4 billion and $21.6 billion over three years, depending on adoption rates. Even at a conservative 8.8% adoption rate, the estimated value was $1.4 billion.

Limitations You Should Know About

The Electronic Frontier Foundation noted several limitations of the RTB Control:

• It only works on devices and browsers where Google can verify you are signed in to your Google account
• Users who are signed out or who do not have a Google account cannot use the control
• Users who have disabled third-party cookies for privacy reasons may not be able to access this protection
• After three years, Google can decide whether to continue offering the control or discontinue it

The opt-in requirement is significant. Privacy settings that require users to take action typically see low adoption rates. Most of the 200 million affected users will likely never enable the control unless Google makes it prominent in its notification emails.

Why This Case Took Five Years

The litigation began on March 26, 2021, when the first complaint was filed as Hewitt v. Google LLC. Multiple cases were consolidated in June 2021 under the current case name. In June 2022, Judge Gonzalez Rogers denied most of Google's motion to dismiss, allowing the statutory privacy and contract claims to proceed.

Plaintiffs sought class certification in July 2023, but the court denied it without prejudice. The parties reached a settlement on September 2, 2025. A fairness hearing was held on February 17, 2026, and final approval was granted on March 26, 2026.

Is the Google RTB Settlement Being Appealed?

Yes. A notice of appeal was filed on April 28, 2026, and the matter is now before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, listed as Woodruff, et al. v. Google LLC, docket number 26-2638. The docket initially set July 13, 2026 as the deadline for the appellants' opening brief, which means the appeal is in its earliest stages.

It is worth being precise about what the public record does and does not show. The publicly available docket confirms that an appeal was opened, but the docket summary does not yet establish the precise issues the appellants will raise. For that reason, this article does not characterize the appeal as challenging the settlement approval, the attorneys' fee award, or any other particular ruling. Until a primary court filing spells out the questions on appeal, any such description would be speculation.

For class members, the practical takeaway is straightforward. No publicly identified order has stayed or disabled the RTB privacy control, so the setting remains available while the appeal proceeds. The appeal also does not create a claim form or a cash payment — the settlement remains injunctive relief, and there is nothing for ordinary class members to file regardless of how the appeal is resolved.

Broader Privacy Implications

This settlement arrives at a time of increasing scrutiny over the RTB system. In January 2025, the Electronic Privacy Information Center and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties filed the first-ever complaint under the Protecting Americans' Data from Foreign Adversaries Act with the Federal Trade Commission. The complaint alleged that Google's RTB system — which broadcasts user data approximately 31 billion times per day — shares Americans' sensitive behavioral information with entities subject to Chinese government jurisdiction.

While this settlement only requires an opt-in control, it establishes a legal precedent that RTB data sharing can be challenged in court and that companies may be required to provide users with mechanisms to limit it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Google RTB privacy settlement?

A federal judge approved a class action settlement on March 26, 2026, requiring Google to create a new privacy setting called the RTB Control. This control allows U.S. Google account holders to limit the personal data Google shares about them during real-time bidding ad auctions. The settlement covers over 200 million users. There is no monetary payout for class members.

Do I get money from the Google RTB settlement?

No. This is an injunctive relief settlement only. No class member receives a cash payment. The seven named plaintiffs each receive $15,000. The benefit to users is the new privacy control that limits data shared during ad auctions.

What does Google's new RTB Control do?

When enabled, the RTB Control removes identifying information from ad auction bid requests, including Google User IDs, device advertising IDs, and IP addresses. It also prevents cookie matching and generalizes browser data. This makes it significantly harder for advertisers to target you based on personal data during real-time bidding.

How do I use Google's RTB privacy control?

The control became available on April 24, 2026. Sign in to the relevant Google account and visit Google's Partner Ads settings page. Find the partner-ad control, which may appear under wording such as "Help advertisers select ads for you" or "Get personalized ads when you visit sites that partner with Google," and turn it off. The settlement announcement describes the enabled privacy protection as a blue check mark when active and a gray X when disabled. You must enable the protection yourself; it is not on by default.

What personal data does Google share in real-time bidding?

During each ad auction, Google shares bid requests containing your Google User ID, IP address, device identifiers, browsing history, publisher IDs, page URLs, and interest categories. Google categorizes users into over 5,000 segments including sensitive categories like health conditions, religion, and ethnicity. This data is broadcast to thousands of advertisers in milliseconds, even those who do not win the auction.

Related Google Privacy Cases

• Google $350 Million California Android Cellular Data Settlement (Csupo v. Google) — A jury found Google used Android owners' paid cellular data without consent; Google settled for $350 million.

• Google $425 Million Web & App Activity Privacy Settlement — A jury awarded $425.7 million against Google for tracking web and app activity without consent.

• Google $5 Billion Incognito Mode Privacy Lawsuit — Allegations that Google tracked users while browsing in Incognito mode.

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Sources

• Google Partner Ads settings — the official page where the partner-ad control is turned off.
• Google Help — How personalized ads and Partner Ad Settings work
• PR Newswire — "Millions Gain New Control Over Their Data in Google Privacy Settlement" — a May 21, 2026 announcement issued by a member of the plaintiffs' executive committee (not a neutral court document) confirming the April 24, 2026 launch and explaining how to disable the setting.
• Justia — Ninth Circuit appeal docket, Woodruff v. Google LLC, No. 26-2638
• U.S. District Court, N.D. Cal. — In re Google RTB Consumer Privacy Litigation case page
• Electronic Frontier Foundation — Google Settlement May Bring New Privacy Controls for Real-Time Bidding (January 2026)

About This Article

This article is based on court filings, official Google ad-settings documentation, the Electronic Frontier Foundation's analysis, and a launch announcement issued by plaintiffs' counsel. Statements attributed to the plaintiffs or the lawsuit reflect allegations; Google has not admitted wrongdoing, and the settlement provides injunctive relief rather than an admission of liability. OpenClassActions.com is a consumer advocacy and class action news site, and is not a class action administrator or a law firm.

For more class actions keep scrolling below.

Privacy Control Status Available now

Launch Date April 24, 2026

Where to Find It Google Partner Ads settings

Action Required Users must manually turn off the applicable partner-ad setting

Cash Payout None for ordinary class members

Claim Form None

Control Duration Google must maintain the control for at least three years

Class Size Over 200 million active U.S. Google account holders

Case Title In re Google RTB Consumer Privacy Litigation

Case Number 4:21-cv-02155-YGR

Court U.S. District Court, Northern District of California