Do they? They’re not the ones actually moving the money in this scenario. Generally KYC and AML laws apply to the actual banks or money transmitter, which sometimes is Google if you use their payment services, but not if it’s just their email.

This was my first thought too. But it seems like any purchase, even if Google isn't involved, is logged.

What does AML have to do with what I buy online?

Anyone who transmits your money, including CC companies, have to comply with KYC and AML laws. I believe this might include Google Pay, but I don’t see how this would include Gmail for cases where you didn’t use Google Pay.

Where? You mean in America? It's really not needed where I am. Also rather doubt I need to pass KYC to buy a burger and fries from a food delivery service in the US.

I’m only familiar with American laws, but KYC and AML laws are not a uniquely American thing. The EU has similar directives, although I'm sure the implementations differ.

And yes, if you bought burgers and fries in the US you actually did pass KYC/AML laws, you are just completely unaware of it. The KYC (know your customer) laws applied when you created your financial account, your bank is obligated to check your identity before creating an account, and the AML laws are about monitoring financial transactions for something fishy.

Here in the US, you need a paper trail for deposits greater than $10k, and banks are on the lookout for “structured” deposits that side step this requirement. So buying a burger occasionally is fine, but if you started buying $15k worth of burgers a month, you’ll start tripping financial systems wondering if you’re doing something illegal.

As a practical matter, this is one reason why people joke about cash only businesses being a front. A cash only laundromat or restaurant is a fantastic way to clean dirty money for use in the us market.

Cash is a great way to prevent governments and overreaching corporations from arbitrarily controlling your money and surveilling you, which are not healthy for people. Remember governments are supposed to work for us, not the other way around.

Most likely a $10K deposit will be reported to the tax department by my bank. If they find that suspicious income they can then notify law enforcement or commence an audit. But otherwise it's no one's business how many burgers I buy.