Google · Google Terms of Service

Governing Law and Jurisdiction

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What it is

If you're a resident of the US, the laws of the state of California govern this agreement and any disputes that might arise between you and Google, and courts in Santa Clara County, California will have exclusive jurisdiction. If you live outside the US, the laws of California govern this agreement, except that if you're a resident of a country in the European Economic Area or Switzerland, the laws of Ireland govern this agreement and any disputes.

Why it matters

Being required to bring legal claims in California or Ireland creates a significant practical barrier for most individual users, effectively discouraging legal action against Google by making litigation geographically and financially inaccessible.

Consumer impact

Google's Terms of Service apply to every product in its ecosystem — Search, Gmail, YouTube, Maps, and more — and by using these services you grant Google a broad license to use your content globally, including after you stop using the service if others have already reshared it. Google can suspend or terminate your account and remove your content at its discretion if it determines you have violated its policies, with limited advance notice in urgent cases, which poses a real risk if you rely on Google services for business or personal communications. You can export a copy of your data and manage your content permissions at any time via Google Takeout at takeout.google.com or review and delete specific content in your Google Account dashboard at myaccount.google.com.

Applicable agencies

  • State AG
    State attorneys general can challenge mandatory out-of-state forum selection clauses in consumer contracts under state consumer protection statutes.
    File a complaint →

Provision details

Document information
Document
Google Terms of Service
Entity
Google
Document last updated
March 24, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
March 6, 2026
Last verified
April 4, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-000129
Document ID
CA-D-00014
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
SHA-256
e6572ba743a1cf3e3a97ba741c3f6e2415a5ef12b0d09e2695e992d27e0c7b3d
Verified
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Change verified
How to Cite
ConductAtlas Policy Archive
Entity: Google | Document: Google Terms of Service | Record: CA-P-000129
Captured: 2026-03-06 19:57:47 UTC | SHA-256: e6572ba743a1cf3e…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/google/google-terms-of-service/governing-law-and-jurisdiction/
Accessed: April 4, 2026
Classification
Severity
Medium
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