Google overhauls its Ads Terms of Service and drops four attribution models
A major terms update expands AI training rights while four legacy attribution models get phased out this July.
Mariano De Vitto · July 2026
Google is rewriting its Ads Terms of Service for the first time in eight years, and the update does more than tidy up legal language. It expands how advertiser data can be used to train and improve Google's AI systems, giving the company broader rights over the information flowing through Ads accounts.
The change lands ahead of a July 2026 rollout, but marketers should not wait to pay attention. Alongside the TOS update, Google is also sunsetting four attribution models starting in mid July: first-click, linear, time-decay, and position-based. Only data-driven attribution and last-click will remain as options.
For teams still relying on rules-based models to evaluate channel performance, this is a real disruption. Historical comparisons will get harder, and campaign structures built around these models will need adjustment. Reporting dashboards and mixed media models pulling Google Ads data may also need recalibration.
The bigger picture: Google continues consolidating control over measurement and AI training data at the same time, two areas advertisers have historically wanted more transparency into, not less.
Marketers should audit which attribution models their accounts currently use, flag any campaigns dependent on the four being deprecated, and review the new terms closely before July. Legal and data teams, not just media buyers, should be part of that review given the AI training implications embedded in the update.
The Signal Brief · Mariano De Vitto — Head of Marketing, Barcelona