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The agreement requires that customer applications notify end users in advance of data collection types and any combination of location data with other providers' data, and prohibits obtaining or caching end user location data without express, prior, and revocable consent.
This analysis describes what Google Maps's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
This provision establishes specific consent and disclosure standards for location data that customers must implement in their applications, including a revocability requirement that interacts with GDPR consent standards and CCPA opt-out rights. Failure to comply with this provision is identified in Section 5.2(d) as a basis for immediate service suspension.
The updated terms establish a broader definition of activities that are subject to heightened restrictions under the Google Maps Platform Terms of Service. Previously, the definition enumerated specific high-risk categories. The revised language now encompasses any use case where service failure could reasonably be expected to result in death, serious personal injury, or severe environmental or property damage, and explicitly identifies weaponry as a restricted application. Developers and organizations using Google Maps for restricted purposes should review their use cases against the new definition to ensure continued compliance.
View change record →This provision establishes that end users of applications built on Google Maps Platform are entitled to advance notice of location data collection and any combination of that data with third-party data providers, and must provide express, revocable consent before their location is obtained or cached. Under this clause, end users retain the right to revoke consent for location data collection within any Maps-integrated application.
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"To safeguard End Users' location privacy, Customer will ensure that the Customer Application(s): (A) notify End Users in advance of (1) the type(s) of data that Customer intends to collect from the End Users or the End Users' devices, and (2) the combination and use of End User's location with any other data provider's data; and (B) will not obtain or cache any End User's location except with the End User's express, prior, revocable consent.Excerpt from Google Maps's Platform Terms of Service
(1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision directly engages GDPR Article 7 (conditions for consent) and Article 13 (information to be provided) for EEA users, as well as CCPA consent and opt-out requirements for California residents. The consent standard stated (express, prior, revocable) aligns with GDPR's consent requirements for processing location data, which qualifies as sensitive data in some EU member state implementations. The FTC has also issued guidance on mobile location data practices. (2) GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: High. The combination of an advance notice requirement, a data combination disclosure requirement, and a revocability standard creates a multi-element consent mechanism obligation that must be implemented at the application level. Customers who rely on implicit or passive consent mechanisms for location data will need to evaluate whether their existing implementations satisfy this contractual standard. (3) JURISDICTION FLAGS: EEA and UK customers face the most acute exposure given GDPR and UK GDPR consent requirements for location data. Illinois customers should evaluate the intersection of this provision with the Illinois Location Data Privacy Act. California customers should assess CCPA opt-out and notice obligations. Customers in Brazil, Canada, and Australia should assess local privacy law alignment with the consent standard stated here. (4) CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Customers who use third-party SDKs or analytics vendors that access location data within Maps-integrated applications should confirm those vendors' consent mechanisms satisfy this contractual standard, as the agreement places compliance responsibility on the customer. Vendor agreements should include contractual representations about consent mechanism compliance. (5) COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Compliance teams should audit in-app consent flows for location data to confirm they present a clear, prior, and revocable consent mechanism. Privacy notices within customer applications should be reviewed to confirm they disclose the combination of location data with any third-party data sources. Customers should implement a mechanism allowing end users to revoke location consent and should confirm that revocation stops both collection and caching.
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This provision establishes specific consent and disclosure standards for location data that customers must implement in their applications, including a revocability requirement that interacts with GDPR consent standards and CCPA opt-out rights. Failure to comply with this provision is identified in Section 5.2(d) as a basis for immediate service suspension.
This provision establishes that end users of applications built on Google Maps Platform are entitled to advance notice of location data collection and any combination of that data with third-party data providers, and must provide express, revocable consent before their location is obtained or cached. Under this clause, end users retain the right to revoke consent for location data collection …
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