Snowflake · Snowflake Terms of Service · View original document ↗

Customer Data License Grant to Snowflake

Medium severity Medium confidence Explicitdocumentlanguage Unique · 0 of 343 platforms
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Recent governance activity Snowflake recorded 15 documented changes in the last 30 days.
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Document Record

What it is

You give Snowflake permission to store, copy, and use your data to the extent needed to run the services you have signed up for.

This analysis describes what Snowflake'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)

The agreement establishes the legal basis for Snowflake's handling of Customer Data; the license is scoped to what is 'reasonably necessary to provide the Services,' which limits use to service delivery purposes rather than broader commercial exploitation.

Interpretive note: The 'reasonably necessary to provide the Services' standard is not exhaustively defined in the agreement, leaving some interpretive flexibility as to the outer boundary of permitted use.

Change history

modified May 14, 2026

Removed emphasis on Customer's retention of intellectual property rights and replaced 'limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use...solely to provide' with broader 'right to host, copy, transmit, display, and otherwise use' language.

View full change record →

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

This provision authorizes Snowflake to host, copy, transmit, and display Customer Data for service delivery purposes; the scope is expressly limited to actions necessary to provide the contracted services, which is a standard and comparatively bounded grant for a cloud data platform.

How other platforms handle this

MetaMask Medium

We may share your personal information with our affiliates, meaning entities that control, are controlled by, or are under common control with Consensys. We also share information with service providers who assist in operating our services, subject to confidentiality obligations.

Ledger Medium

At Ledger, earning and maintaining our users' trust is a top priority. That's why we are deeply committed not only to protecting your privacy and securing your personal data, but also to being fully transparent about how we handle it.

Target Medium

RedCard. We share information with our financial partners to operate the Target RedCard program.

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Monitoring

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
Customer grants Snowflake the right to host, copy, transmit, display, and otherwise use Customer Data and Customer Applications as reasonably necessary to provide the Services in accordance with this Agreement.

— Excerpt from Snowflake's Snowflake Terms of Service

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This license grant is relevant to GDPR data processing obligations, as it defines the scope of Snowflake's permitted actions on Customer Data as a data processor. Under GDPR Article 28, a data processor may only act on documented instructions from the controller, and the 'reasonably necessary' standard in this clause should be evaluated against the more specific instruction requirements of Article 28. CCPA's service provider restrictions similarly require that personal data be used only to perform the contracted services. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. The 'reasonably necessary' qualifier is standard but interpretively flexible; what qualifies as necessary to provide the services is not exhaustively defined in the agreement. This creates some ambiguity about the outer boundary of permitted use, though the provision is not facially overbroad. JURISDICTION FLAGS: EU and UK customers must confirm that the DPA, when executed, contains the specific processing instructions required under GDPR Article 28 and that the license grant in the main agreement is read consistently with those instructions. California customers should confirm that the service provider designation under CCPA is documented and that the license grant aligns with service provider use restrictions. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: The license grant should be read in conjunction with the DPA and any security addenda. Procurement teams should ensure the DPA specifies the categories of personal data, processing purposes, and sub-processor authorizations required by GDPR Article 28(3). The main agreement's license grant does not substitute for those specifics. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Data mapping exercises should confirm that all categories of Customer Data loaded onto the platform are covered by the DPA and that the license grant is consistent with the organization's own privacy notices and consent frameworks. Sub-processor lists maintained by Snowflake should be reviewed and updated as part of the vendor management process.

Full compliance analysis

Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.

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Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC has jurisdiction over privacy and data practices in commercial agreements, including whether data use representations are consistent with actual processing activities.
    File a complaint →

Applicable regulations

CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
Connecticut Data Privacy Act Amendments
US-CT
FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal
GDPR
European Union
Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act
US-IN
Kentucky Consumer Data Protection Act
US-KY
Universal Opt-Out Mechanism Expansion 2026
US

Provision details

Document information
Document
Snowflake Terms of Service
Entity
Snowflake
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
May 10, 2026
Last verified
May 12, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-011319
Document ID
CA-D-00697
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
1ff84094bd39f9066b642f93cceeda7f67de590fbe6c3a1d08d48cc036234cc1
Analysis generated
May 10, 2026 12:52 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Snowflake
Document: Snowflake Terms of Service
Record ID: CA-P-011319
Captured: 2026-05-10 12:52:25 UTC
SHA-256: 1ff84094bd39f906…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/snowflake/snowflake-terms-of-service/customer-data-license-grant-to-snowflake/
Accessed: June 27, 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 Snowflake's Customer Data License Grant to Snowflake clause do?

The agreement establishes the legal basis for Snowflake's handling of Customer Data; the license is scoped to what is 'reasonably necessary to provide the Services,' which limits use to service delivery purposes rather than broader commercial exploitation.

How does this clause affect you?

This provision authorizes Snowflake to host, copy, transmit, and display Customer Data for service delivery purposes; the scope is expressly limited to actions necessary to provide the contracted services, which is a standard and comparatively bounded grant for a cloud data platform.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Snowflake?

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