Fact Check: "Your data can be shared with 149 vendors and 68 ad partners!"
What We Know
The claim that "your data can be shared with 149 vendors and 68 ad partners" is based on the practices outlined by Google regarding data sharing under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). According to Google's documentation, publishers must identify each ad partner that receives personal data from users in the European Economic Area (EEA) and the UK. This includes a wide range of ad partners and vendors, which can be selected by the publisher through the Privacy & messaging tool in Google Ad Manager and AdSense (Google Ad Manager Help, Google AdSense Help).
The documentation specifies that if publishers do not engage with the controls to select ad partners, a commonly used set of ad partners will serve, which includes those that generate the most revenue from EEA and UK users (Google Ad Manager Help). This commonly used set can indeed include a large number of vendors and ad partners, potentially reaching figures similar to those mentioned in the claim.
Analysis
The claim's accuracy hinges on the specific numbers cited—149 vendors and 68 ad partners. While Google's documentation does not explicitly confirm these exact figures, it does indicate that the number of ad partners can be extensive. The documentation allows publishers to select from a large list of ad partners, which can include many vendors and ad networks (Google Ad Manager Help, Google AdSense Help).
A related source mentions that users may encounter notices indicating their data could be processed by a total of 136 vendors and 66 ad partners, which suggests that the numbers can vary and are context-dependent (Truth or Fake).
The reliability of the sources used to substantiate this claim is high, as they originate from Google's official documentation and a reputable fact-checking site. However, the exact numbers may fluctuate based on the specific configurations chosen by publishers and the evolving landscape of ad partnerships.
Conclusion
The claim that "your data can be shared with 149 vendors and 68 ad partners" is Partially True. While the numbers may not be precisely accurate, they reflect the reality that data sharing practices can involve a large number of vendors and ad partners, particularly under GDPR regulations. The variability in the exact figures indicates that while the claim is grounded in truth, it may not represent a fixed standard across all contexts.
