The policies below play an important role in maintaining a positive and informative experience for everyone using Search products featuring content posted by users. If we find content or behavior that violates these policies, we’ll respond appropriately, including potentially removing that content or terminating account privileges. We may also make exceptions to these policies based on artistic, educational, historical, documentary, or scientific considerations, or where there are other substantial benefits to the public. We’ll do our best to prevent poor quality content from ever appearing on Search products featuring content posted by users. We appreciate your help in keeping our products safe and helpful for everyone.
We don’t allow content that contains nudity, sex acts, sexually suggestive activities or sexually explicit material. Medical or scientific terms related to human or sex education are generally permitted.
We don’t allow content that advertises products or services, including direct calls to purchase, links to other websites, company contact information, and other promotional tactics. We don’t allow sponsored content that’s concealed or misrepresented as independent content.
We have zero tolerance towards content that sexually exploits children. This includes all child sexual abuse imagery (even cartoon images). We’ll remove and report such content as required by law, and we may also take other appropriate action, such as disabling accounts and terminating access to all contents within an account.
Be aware of rules for photos and video when at events. We will respond to clear notices of alleged copyright infringement. Repeated infringement of intellectual property rights, including copyright, will result in account termination. Learn more about Google's copyright policies.
We don’t allow this service to be used to engage in illegal activities or to promote goods, services, or information that facilitates or causes serious and immediate harm to other people or animals. While we permit general information for educational purposes about this content, we draw the line when the content directly facilitates harm.
We allow authentic human interaction in the form of upvotes, downvotes, follows, tags and other reactions. We remove inauthentic and artificially inflated engagement intended to deceive users.
We don’t allow harassment, bullying, or threatening behavior, and we don’t allow this service to be used to engage in these activities. Anyone using this service to single someone out for malicious abuse, threaten someone with serious harm, sexualize someone in an unwanted way, expose private information of someone else that could be used to carry out threats, disparage or belittle victims of violence or tragedy, deny an atrocity, direct a personal ad hominem attack against a private person or organization, or harass in other ways may have the offending content removed or be permanently banned from using the service. We also may refer threats of harm and other dangerous situations to law enforcement. Keep in mind that online harassment is also illegal in many places and can have serious offline consequences for both the harasser and the victim.
Our products are platforms for free expression, but we don’t permit hate speech. Hate speech is content that promotes or condones violence against or has the primary purpose of inciting hatred against an individual or group on the basis of their race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, age, nationality, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or any other characteristic that is associated with systemic discrimination or marginalization.
We reserve the right to remove content that’s off-topic.
Links to malware, viruses, or other harmful software aren’t permitted. We don't allow phishing or other content that harms or interferes with the operation of the networks, servers, or other infrastructure of Google or others. See our Safebrowsing Policies for more information.
When we highlight information on medical topics across Search, we strive to show information that reflects scientific consensus and evidence-based best practices, since we consider this content high-quality. To this end, if this highlighted information is not supported by general scientific consensus, we reserve the right to correct or remove the information from the feature. Finally, please note that this service is purely informative and should not be used to provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, or provide medical or counseling care.
We’ll remove content and may take account action on users who attempt to impersonate another person or organization, or otherwise engage in activities intended to deceive, defraud, or mislead others. This includes falsely implying affiliation with, or endorsement by, another individual or organization. This also includes using multiple accounts to evade our policies, bypass blocks, or otherwise subvert restrictions placed on your account.
Upon request, we’ll remove personal information if we believe it could lead to a specific harm, such as identity theft or financial fraud. This includes sensitive government ID numbers such as U.S. Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, images of signatures and personal health documents. In cases where this information is broadly available, like national ID numbers listed on a government website, we generally don’t process removals. We sometimes refuse requests if we believe someone is attempting to abuse these policies to remove other information from our results.
We don’t allow this service to be used to facilitate the promotion or sale of regulated goods and services including, but not limited to alcohol, gambling, pharmaceuticals, unapproved supplements, tobacco, weapons, fireworks, health/medical devices, or financial services.
We don’t allow spam, which may include unwanted, irrelevant, promotional or commercial content, content that is created by an automated program, repetitive content, or anything that appears to be a mass solicitation.
We don’t permit terrorist organizations to use this service for any purpose, including recruitment. We’ll also remove content related to terrorism, such as content that promotes terrorist acts, incites violence, or celebrates terrorist attacks.
Don’t post or distribute images or videos of minors without the necessary consent from their legal representatives. If someone has posted an image or video of a minor without necessary consent, please report it to us here.
Upon request, we’ll sometimes remove content under applicable laws or in response to a court order. Submit legal requests here.
We don’t allow violent or gory content that's primarily intended to be shocking, sensational, or gratuitous.
We don’t allow obscenities, profanities, or nonsensical content that carry no actual meaning.