Provision record
Google · Google Terms of Service · View original document ↗

Prohibited Conduct and Acceptable Use

Medium severity Unique · 0 of 352 platforms
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Document Record

What it is

The terms prohibit a defined list of conduct including malware introduction, hacking, jailbreaking, adversarial prompting, prompt injection outside authorized programs, fake account or content creation, AI content misrepresentation, use of Google AI-generated content to train competing ML models, and automated access in violation of robots.txt instructions. These prohibitions apply to all users of Google services.

This analysis describes what Google'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

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

This provision establishes the acceptable use boundaries for all Google services, including explicit prohibitions on using Google AI-generated content to develop competing machine learning models and on automated scraping in violation of robots.txt directives. These restrictions have operational implications for developers, researchers, and organizations that access Google services programmatically or use Google AI outputs in their own technical workflows.

Recent Activity

This document changed recently

Medium Apr 19, 2026

The updated terms materially reduce service quality commitments. The revised language replaces Google's prior commitment to provide services using "reasonable skill and care" with an explicit as-is disclaimer stating that services are provided "without any express or implied warranties" unless stated in service-specific terms. The updated terms now explicitly apply to all users whether signed in to a Google account or not, extending their scope. Google also clarifies that its Privacy Policy applies to service use. These changes establish that users have fewer contractual recourse options if services fail to function as expected, except where service-specific additional terms or applicable law provide otherwise.

View change record →

If You Do Nothing

Users who violate these prohibitions may have their content removed or Google Account suspended or terminated as stated in the terms

Cross-platform context

See how other platforms handle Prohibited Conduct and Acceptable Use and similar clauses.

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
You must not abuse, harm, interfere with, or disrupt our services or systems — for example, by: introducing malware spamming, hacking, or bypassing our systems or protective measures jailbreaking, adversarial prompting, or prompt injection, except as part of our safety and bug testing programs accessing or using our services or content in fraudulent or deceptive ways, such as: phishing creating fake accounts or content, including fake reviews misleading others into thinking that generative AI content was created by a human ... using AI-generated content from our services to develop machine learning models or related AI technology ... using automated means to access content from any of our services in violation of the machine-readable instructions on our web pages (for example, robots.txt files that disallow crawling, training, or other activities)

Excerpt from Google's Terms of Service

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (regulatory & governance intelligence)

1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: The prohibition on misrepresenting AI-generated content as human-created may engage FTC Act provisions on deceptive practices, as well as emerging AI transparency requirements under the EU AI Act, which includes disclosure obligations …

Insight

Unlock the full institutional analysis

Enforcement risk, jurisdiction flags, contract triggers, and due diligence action items.

Applicable agencies

  • Federal Trade Commission (ftc)
    Oversees unfair or deceptive business practices and can investigate companies that mislead consumers about data collection, sharing, or use.
    Who can file: Anyone affected by the company's practices (US or international)
    What you need: Your account details, a timeline of relevant events, and a description of the specific issue
    What to expect: Complaints inform FTC enforcement priorities and investigations but do not result in individual resolution or compensation
    File a complaint →

Applicable regulations

CFAA
United States Federal
DMCA
United States Federal
DSA
European Union

Provision details

Document information
Document
Google Terms of Service
Entity
Google
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
July 30, 2026
Last verified
July 30, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-00014008
Document ID
CA-D-00014
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
affd0b0ec095309ceaed3b2e424bf76b10303b58aeff90fa6b8d950812e788dc
Analysis generated
July 30, 2026 01:36 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Google
Document: Google Terms of Service
Record ID: CA-P-00014008
Captured: 2026-07-30 01:36:40 UTC
SHA-256: affd0b0ec095309c…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/google/google-terms-of-service/prohibited-conduct-and-acceptable-use/
Accessed: Sept. 8, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Google's Prohibited Conduct and Acceptable Use clause do?

This provision establishes the acceptable use boundaries for all Google services, including explicit prohibitions on using Google AI-generated content to develop competing machine learning models and on automated scraping in violation of robots.txt directives. These restrictions have operational implications for developers, researchers, and organizations that access Google services programmatically or use Google AI outputs in their own technical workflows.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Google?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Google.