Google AdSense has added new universal opt-out mechanisms and privacy controls due to new laws they must adhere to. These go across several US states.
Google posted about Universal Opt-Out Mechanism provisions update:
Similar to the Colorado Universal Opt-Out Mechanism (UOOMs) provisions, additional US States including Connecticut, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Texas, Minnesota, New Jersey and Maryland, have similar UOOMs provisions that require Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals opt the user out of ad targeting, sale, or share of data. For users in Colorado, Connecticut, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Texas, Minnesota, New Jersey and Maryland, Google will receive GPC signals directly and trigger RDP mode for those ad requests.
Google posted about New comprehensive US state laws coming into effect:
New comprehensive US state laws coming into effect include: the Tennessee Information Protection Act (July 1st), the Minnesota Consumer Data Privacy Act (July 1st), the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act (Oct 1st), the Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act (INCDPA), the Kentucky Consumer Data Protection Act, and the Rhode Island Data Transparency and Privacy Protection Act (Jan 2026).Google's approach in these states is similar to that of existing US states with active comprehensive laws. Activating RDP mode turns off ad personalization, which may assist publishers in honoring opt-outs for targeted advertising and avoiding activities that could be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of user data.
Please note that publishers should still work with their legal teams to understand if RDP is the appropriate solution for their compliance. Publishers who currently leverage the RDP should work with their legal teams to understand if they should expand their use of RDP in additional states.
I bet this is super confusing for the average AdSense publisher.
Forum discussion at X.
