Google Maps · Google Maps Platform Terms of Service

Content Caching Prohibition

Medium severity
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What it is

Customer will not pre-fetch, cache, index, or store any Content, except that Customer may store: (i) limited amounts of Content for the sole purpose of improving the performance of the Customer Application due to network latency, and only if Customer does so temporarily, securely, and in a manner that (a) does not permit use of the Content outside of the Services, (b) is accompanied by reasonable efforts to keep the Content up to date, and (c) does not manipulate or aggregate Content to evade the restrictions in these Terms.

Why it matters

This restriction ensures all Maps data must flow through Google's live APIs, preventing developers from building offline-capable or independent datasets from Google's mapping data.

Consumer impact

Developers and businesses using Google Maps APIs are bound by strict content display rules, anti-competitive use restrictions, and Google's unilateral right to alter or terminate services. End consumers using apps built on Maps APIs may have their location data processed under Google's data policies, with limited transparency about how that data flows between app developers and Google. You can review Google's Maps Platform Privacy Notice at https://cloud.google.com/maps-platform/privacy to understand what data Google collects when Maps APIs are embedded in third-party apps.

Provision details

Document information
Document
Google Maps Platform Terms of Service
Entity
Google Maps
Document last updated
March 24, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
March 20, 2026
Last verified
April 4, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-001922
Document ID
CA-D-00324
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
SHA-256
6b3fc9132543f92a0d6e87edb75a218ea1e3c5adb602f1a194b2b81c84dc02d6
Verified
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Change verified
How to Cite
ConductAtlas Policy Archive
Entity: Google Maps | Document: Google Maps Platform Terms of Service | Record: CA-P-001922
Captured: 2026-03-20 06:28:58 UTC | SHA-256: 6b3fc9132543f92a…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/google-maps/google-maps-platform-terms-of-service/content-caching-prohibition/
Accessed: April 4, 2026
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

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