Privacy Policy Requirements for Google Merchant Center

Why GMC Checks Your Privacy Policy

Google requires merchants to have a privacy policy that explains how customer data is collected, used, and stored. During account reviews, the presence and completeness of the privacy policy is one of the first things checked.

A missing or empty privacy policy is a direct misrepresentation flag. A policy that only says "we don't share your data" without explaining what data is collected will also fail a manual review.

Required Sections for GMC Compliance

What data is collected — List the types of personal data you collect: name, email address, shipping address, payment information (note: even if you use Stripe or PayPal, you receive billing address data), browsing behavior.

How data is used — Explain each use: processing orders, sending shipping notifications, marketing emails, analytics.

Third parties — Disclose which third-party services process customer data: payment processors (Stripe, PayPal), shipping providers, email marketing platforms, analytics tools (Google Analytics).

Customer rights — Explain how customers can access, correct, or delete their data. Required for GDPR compliance if you sell to EU customers.

Cookies — Explain your cookie usage, especially if you use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or advertising pixels.

Contact — How customers can reach you with privacy concerns.

Placement

Link to your privacy policy from:

• •Your website footer (every page)
• •Your checkout page (near the payment step)
• •Any forms where you collect personal data (newsletter signup, contact form)

Ecommerce Platform Templates

Shopify provides a basic privacy policy template in Settings > Legal. It covers the essentials but you'll need to customize it with your specific third-party services and contact information.

WooCommerce links to a privacy policy page from settings. Use a generator tool or legal template as the starting point, then customize.