Google Ad Tags Will Accept Full IPs in Server-Side GTM From Jan 11, 2027

Server-side Google Tag Manager will let tags for Google Ads, Display & Video 360, Search Ads 360 and Campaign Manager 360 accept full IP addresses starting Jan. 11, 2027, according to a Google notice to advertisers. Google Analytics tags will keep applying IP redaction. The change was shared on LinkedIn on Nov. 2 by Google Ads specialist Adriaan Dekker.

The notice carries no issue date. Google's Tag Manager release notes did not mention the change as of Nov. 3.

What does the notice change?

The document, titled "Updates to network signal processing in server-side tagging," states that server containers "will transition from container-wide IP address redaction to individual tag-level processing." It outlines four concrete effects:

• Tags sending data to Google Ads, Display & Video 360, Search Ads 360 and Campaign Manager 360 will accept the full IP address.
• Google Analytics tags will continue to apply IP redaction.
• Third-party tags keep independent control over the signals they accept.
• Transformations can redact these signals before any tag reads the data.

The notice covers server containers only. It says nothing about the Google tag or web containers running in the browser.

Context matters here. Server-side Tag Manager could redact or anonymize IPs through Analytics server tags as of March 2021, per Google's release notes. Transformations, which edit or exclude event data before tags read it, arrived in June 2023. The notice does not explain how container-wide redaction currently works. Google's server-side setup page for the Google Ads conversion tag says the tag sends "all the available conversion data to Google" unless transformations change it. That page did not mention IP addresses as of Nov. 3.

How can advertisers keep IP addresses redacted?

Advertisers with Google ad tags in a server container have until Jan. 11 to decide whether those tags receive full or partially redacted IP addresses. The notice directs users to "our Help Centre article for detailed opt-out instructions" but does not reveal where the link points, based on the screenshot provided.

A Tag Manager Help Center page, "IP address redaction for server-side tagging," documents the current method. The main steps use transformations:

• Create a new Custom Template Variable that calls Google's getAnonymizedIpAddress function.
• Create a new Augment event transformation that overwrites the ip_override field with the anonymized IP address from that variable.

The transformation affects the tags you choose, such as Google Ads or Floodlight. Google advises checking results in Preview before deploying changes to production. The Help page also states that Analytics server tags "already apply partial IP redaction by default."

Google's API reference defines the mechanics precisely. The function zeroes the last octet of an IPv4 address and the last 80 bits of an IPv6 address. The Help page calls the result a "partially redacted IP."

The function itself is recent. Google added it to its API reference after Oct. 12. The Internet Archive's Oct. 12 capture of the page does not list it. The live page shows an Oct. 30 update date.

Some third-party tags need extra work. The Help page notes they can read IP addresses from custom headers or event parameters rather than from ip_override. Advertisers must set the transformation to target the field each tag uses.

What are the consent requirements?

Per the notice, advertisers using Google's advertising products "must ensure that proper end-user notices and legally required consents are in place before data collection begins." All advertisers using Google's advertising products in the EEA "must strictly adhere" to Google's EU User Consent Policy. The policy extends to customers whose end users reside in the United Kingdom and Switzerland. Customers in other regions with privacy regulations must follow those regional requirements and platform terms.

Google frames the update as positive. It says the change "integrates privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs)," filters spam and invalid traffic, and will improve campaign performance.

Two gaps remain. The announcement does not explain how the change interacts with consent mode or with non-consenting requests described in earlier release notes, which stated that Floodlight tags in server containers began sending non-consenting requests in July 2025. Google also did not say where or how long full IP addresses would be stored.

This server-side change is distinct from Google's planned Analytics data control updates. Those updates will encrypt IP addresses collected by the Google tag and SDK and pass them to linked Google Ads accounts, on dates Google plans to share later this year.

Why does this matter?

Server-side tagging lets advertisers control how much information leaves their servers with each tag. Google's notice determines whether its ad tags will accept full IP addresses in that configuration.

Before Jan. 11, advertisers should review all Google Ads, Floodlight and third-party tags inside their server containers and identify which IP field each tag reads. The transformation method documented in Google's Help section, with Preview testing, is currently the only documented way to keep an ad tag's IP partially masked. Consent processes should cover any IP data these tags use.

There were no references to IP addresses in either of Google's server-side pages on Transformations or consent mode as of Nov. 3. Watch the Tag Manager release notes for an official announcement when tag-level IP handling ships, and check the developer pages for technical detail. Review the redaction Help page before building any transformation.