Google · Google Terms of Service

User Conduct and Prohibited Activities

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What it is

Don't misuse our services. For example, don't interfere with our services or try to access them using a method other than the interface and the instructions that we provide. You may use our services only as permitted by law, including applicable export and re-export control laws and regulations.

Why it matters

Violating these conduct rules — even through common practices like web scraping, using unofficial API clients, or automated data collection — can result in immediate account termination, and Google's definition of 'misuse' is determined solely by Google.

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

  • FTC
    The FTC has authority under Section 5 of the FTC Act to investigate whether overly broad prohibited-conduct clauses are used as a pretext for anticompetitive or unfair practices against consumers and developers.
    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-001897
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-001897
Captured: 2026-03-06 19:57:47 UTC | SHA-256: e6572ba743a1cf3e…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/google/google-terms-of-service/user-conduct-and-prohibited-activities/
Accessed: April 4, 2026
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

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