Google, Meta, and Microsoft don't stop tracking you after all
15 Apr 2026

A recent study by California Privacy Audit has revealed that major tech companies like Meta, Google, and Microsoft continue to track users even after they have opted out.

The audit was conducted by webXray, a privacy search engine. It found that 194 online advertising services ignore legally defined opt-out signals endorsed by regulators.

Further, Google's Cookie Choice Banners were also found ineffective in preventing cookie setting after users opted out.

Google tops the list
Failure rates

The study revealed the opt-out failure rates for these tech giants.

Google topped the list with an 87% failure rate, followed by Meta and Microsoft at 69% and 50%, respectively.

The audit even detailed how these companies circumvent opt-out signals in their code, making it clear that they're not going to great lengths to hide these violations.

Tech companies dispute study's conclusions
Dispute

In response to the study's findings, the tech companies have disputed its conclusions.

Google has specifically said that the study shows a "fundamental misunderstanding" of how its products and code work.

Despite these disputes, it's worth noting that these firms have already paid billions of dollars in fees for similar privacy violations in the past.