Google Details Cookies for Search, Ads, and Security

Google maintains an extensive array of cookies across its search engine and associated services to support user authentication, content personalization, advertising, analytics, and security features. These cookies, which vary in duration from sessions lasting minutes to two decades, enable tailored search results, ad targeting, and fraud prevention, according to detailed usage descriptions.

The cookies serve multiple core functions. Authentication-related ones, such as __Host3PLSID, OSID, __HostGAPS, LSOLH, and SMSV, facilitate sign-ins with Google accounts and maintain session integrity, with most persisting up to one year. Preferences cookies like SID, HSID, SSID, APISID, SAPISID, AID, and NID allow users to save settings, including search results per page, SafeSearch activation, and language choices, often lasting one to two years.

Advertising and analytics dominate the list. Tools such as _gcl_au, _gcl_dc, gcl, gac, FPGCLDC, and TAID track user actions after ad clicks, measure campaign performance, and link activity across devices for coordinated ad delivery, typically expiring in 90 days to 14 days. Broader tracking cookies including _dcid, OTZ, DV, LSID, SNID, GN_PREF, and...