Enable Full IPs in Server‑Side GTM for Google Ads Tags
Google’s server‑side GTM update lets ad tags receive full IPs. Here’s what marketers should adjust to capture demand while respecting privacy.
Google announced that server‑side Google Tag Manager (GTM) will allow tags for Google Ads, Display & Video 360, Search Ads 360 and Campaign Manager 360 to receive full IP addresses starting Jan 11 2027. The change is outlined in a notice titled “Updates to network signal processing in server‑side tagging,” which Google shared with advertisers via a LinkedIn post by Ads specialist Adriaan Dekker on Nov 2.
Why it matters: the notice says the update will improve campaign performance, but it also stresses that advertisers must have proper end‑user notices and legally required consents before collecting any IP data, especially in regions with strict privacy rules such as the EEA, the UK and Switzerland.
What’s changing in server‑side tagging?
- Tags that send data to Google Ads, Display & Video 360, Search Ads 360 and Campaign Manager 360 will now accept the full IP address instead of a redacted one.
- Google Analytics tags continue to redact IPs by default, as stated in the notice.
- Third‑party tags keep control over the signals they accept; you may need separate transformations for them.
- Advertisers have until Jan 11 2027 to decide whether each tag should receive the full or a partially redacted IP.
How to configure full‑IP handling in a server container
Google’s Help Centre article on IP address redaction for server‑side tagging walks you through the setup. The steps are:
- Create a Custom Template Variable that calls Google’s getAnonymizedIpAddress function (this produces a partially redacted IP).
- Add an Augment event transformation that overwrites the ip_override field with the value from the custom variable. This transformation runs before the tag reads the IP.
- Preview the changes in GTM’s Preview mode and verify that the ip_override field contains the expected value before publishing.
Compliance checklist
The notice repeats Google’s requirement for end‑user notices and legally required consents. To stay compliant you should:
- Ensure your privacy policy and any user‑facing notices cover the collection of full IP addresses for advertising purposes, as required by applicable law.
- Make sure you have a consent mechanism that captures the legally required consents for advertising‑related data collection, particularly for users in the EEA, the UK or Switzerland.
- Adopt a general best‑practice of aligning your consent flow with the privacy regulations that apply to the jurisdictions you serve.
What to do now
Take a systematic approach before the Jan 11 deadline:
- Review each server‑side container and note which Google Ads, Display & Video 360, Search Ads 360 and Campaign Manager 360 tags are active – this helps you decide where full IPs are needed.
- Decide, tag by tag, whether you need the full IP – for high‑value conversion tags you may choose to keep the full IP, for others you might retain partial redaction.
- Implement the custom variable and transformation as described, then test in Preview mode for both consenting and non‑consenting traffic.
- Update your consent management platform (CMP) to pass the consent flag into GTM so transformations can respect user choices.
- Document the changes and share the updated workflow with your legal or compliance team for sign‑off.
The services behind this post.
Frequently asked questions.
No. The notice specifies that Google Analytics tags will continue to apply IP redaction by default, so your Analytics reports remain unchanged.
The update applies only to server‑side containers. Browser‑side (web) tags are not mentioned in the notice, so no immediate changes are required for them.
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