Google agreement stack
Latest changes
Last check 2026-10-11 — 15 instruments verified live across both stacks, 3 changed. Each change below carries an impact score; the schema is at the foot of this section.
- 2026-10-11Google Terms of Service — Google Terms of Service now show an effective date of 30 July 2026 (registry recorded no date); service-specific/Generative-AI Prohibited Use Policy cross-references present. sourceMinor · 7/15privacy 1 · user-adjacent data 1 · stack 1 · reach 2 · notice 2
Privacy / user data: Framework terms only. The Google Privacy Policy and the Cloud DPA sit elsewhere in the stack and were unchanged in this check.
Effect on the stack: Sets the general framework; service-specific terms and the DPA take precedence for their subject matter, so the practical effect on data handling is limited.
Coverage: 13 of 13 instruments have a monitored public source.
At a glance
- Vendor
- Layer model
- Framework (Master Agreement / ToS) → Product/Cloud terms (+ service-specific terms) → Data (DPA) → Policies incorporated by reference (Privacy Policy, AUP, subprocessors) → Service SLAs
- Instruments tracked
- 13 registry rows (GO-01–GO-13)
- Primary change signal
- Cloud / Workspace terms update history
- Status
- In-force (form); underlying documents not opened here
How the stack is built
Each layer is incorporated by reference into the one above it; service-specific and data-protection terms take precedence for their own subject matter.
Instruments
Each instrument links to its live document where one exists.
| ID | Instrument | Layer | How it is read in | Change mechanism | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GO-01 | Google Cloud Platform Terms of Service | Cloud | Governs use of Cloud services; incorporated. | Online update | in-force |
| GO-02 | Google Cloud Master Agreement | Master | Framework for Cloud; incorporates URL terms by reference; subprocessor rules at s 11.4. | Online update / notice | superseded |
| GO-03 | Google Cloud Data Processing Addendum | Data addendum | Governs personal-data processing; incorporated. | Versioned | in-force (form) |
| GO-04 | Google Terms of Service | Framework | General terms; incorporated. | Online update | in-force |
| GO-05 | Google Privacy Policy | Privacy notice | Incorporated; applies to data practices. | Online update | in-force |
| GO-06 | Google Workspace Terms of Service | Workspace | Governs Workspace; incorporates service-specific terms. | Online update | in-force |
| GO-07 | Google Cloud Acceptable Use Policy | AUP | Incorporated; governs prohibited use. | Online update | in-force |
| GO-08 | Google Workspace Service Level Agreement | SLA | Uptime commitments. | Updated | in-force |
| GO-09 | Google subprocessor list | Subprocessors | New processors change routing / jurisdiction; s 11.4 gives 30-day notice and the right to terminate to object. | Updated on change | in-force |
| GO-10 | Cloud Identity Terms of Service | Service-specific | §1.4(c)(ii) new-feature carve-outs. | Updated | in-force (form) |
| GO-11 | Google Cloud Platform / SecOps ToS (2025) §4.3 | Service-specific | "Generative AI Safety and Abuse" carve-out permits prompt logging on abuse detection. | Updated | in-force |
| GO-12 | Google Workspace Service Specific Terms §13 | Service-specific | Overrides general terms for Workspace; §13 covers agentic AI (customer responsible). | Updated | in-force (form) |
| GO-13 | YouTube / Google Analytics | Separate services | "Separately governed additional services" — no document or URL cited by the source material. | — | unknown |
Incorporation and precedence
- The stack is driven by core terms plus "URL terms" incorporated by reference and updated online.
- New features are governed immediately on release.
- Service-specific terms (Workspace §13, Cloud Identity §1.4(c)(ii)) and the DPA take precedence for their subject matter.
- The subprocessor clause (s 11.4) gives only 30-day notice plus termination to object — impractical for dependent institutions.
What the monthly check diffs
- Version / effective date (DPA versions; master-agreement dates).
- Content hash / change-log entry (Google terms update history).
- New-feature carve-out text — does newly released AI functionality sit inside or outside protections?
- Data-use / retention statements (for example, Workspace Privacy Hub feedback retention).
- Subprocessor lists (additions and removals; processing locations).
- Precedence / order-of-precedence clauses — any reordering changes how documents are read.
- New instruments appearing in the stack, or instruments renamed or withdrawn.
- Data-residency commitments.
Watch list: Google Cloud / Workspace terms. Workspace Privacy Hub feedback retention. Subprocessor list; new AI / agentic terms.
Changelog
The full running log for this stack, newest first.
- 2026-10-11Google Terms of Service — Google Terms of Service now show an effective date of 30 July 2026 (registry recorded no date); service-specific/Generative-AI Prohibited Use Policy cross-references present. sourceMinor · 7/15
Sources and further reading
- Google Cloud Terms: https://cloud.google.com/terms
- Google Workspace terms: https://workspace.google.com/terms/
- Google Workspace Privacy Hub: https://workspace.google.com/privacy/
- Google subprocessors: https://cloud.google.com/terms/subprocessors
Change-impact schema
Every change found by the check is scored on five dimensions (0-3 each, total 0-15) and placed in one of three bands. The point is to separate housekeeping from changes that belong in a review.
- Privacy / data-protection effect — Does it change what personal data is processed, why, where, or for how long?
- User-adjacent data — Does it touch data generated by or about end users — prompts, content, telemetry, feedback, identifiers?
- Stack effect — Does it change how the stack is read — incorporation, precedence, scope, or a shared definition?
- Reach — How many services, surfaces or customers are affected?
- Notice and reversibility — Was there notice? Can a customer object, exit, or negotiate — or is it unilateral?
- 0-3Incidental — Housekeeping. Nothing substantive changes; safe to skip in a review.
- 4-8Minor — Real but bounded. A defined subset, a clarification, or a date/label change without a change to the underlying obligation.
- 9-15Major — Substantive. Changes obligations, data flows, or how the stack reads — belongs in a review or a client briefing.
Compiled from public vendor documents and the tracked change log. Not legal advice — verify against the primary source before relying on it.