These terms apply to ST Offerings only and do not apply to any Google Cloud Platform services. Starter Tier resources are not Google Cloud Platform services and are not controlled by the Google Cloud Terms of Service.
To use the Starter Tier services described at https://docs.cloud.google.com/docs/starter-tier#supported-products (“ST Offerings”), you must accept (1) the Google Terms of Service, (“Google ToS”) and (2) these Starter Tier Additional Terms of Service (the “ST Additional Terms”). Terms that are not defined in these ST Additional Terms have the meanings given to them in the Google ToS.
Please read these ST Additional Terms, the Google Terms of Service, and the linked documents incorporated herein carefully. Together, these documents are known as the “Terms”. They establish what you can expect from us as you use ST Offerings, and what we expect from you. If you are using the ST Offerings on behalf of an organization, you will need to have an authorized representative of that organization agree to the Terms, as described in the “Using Google services” section of the Google ToS.
1. Services
You may use the ST Offerings, and may integrate the ST Offerings into any Customer Application that has material value independent of the ST Offerings, all in accordance with these Terms.
2. Your Relationship with Google
You’re contracting for the ST Offerings with the entity identified at https://cloud.google.com/terms/google-entity (“Google Contracting Entity Page”), and when these ST Additional Terms, Google’s Privacy Policy, or the Google Data Processing Addendum (the “DPA”) refer to "Google," "we," "us," or "our", in relation to your use of the ST Offerings, they mean that contracting entity at the Google Contracting Entity Page (even if the Google ToS or Privacy Policy says otherwise).
The ST Offerings are provided to you by your Google contracting entity.
3. Your End Users
3.1. You will require your End Users to comply with (and not knowingly enable them to violate) applicable law, regulation, and the Terms.
4. Limitations
4.1. Business Purpose. You agree that your use of the ST Offerings is for trade, business, craft or professional purposes only.
4.2. Age Requirements. You must be 18 years of age or older to use the ST Offerings.
4.3. Starter Tier.
(a) ST Offerings may provide a limited subset of the functionality and quotas available in Google Cloud services, but ST Offerings are not Google Cloud services and, as such, are not subject to the Google Cloud Terms of Service or accessible or managed by any organization (e.g. your employer) that might have separately engaged Google to provide Google Cloud services.
(b) ST Offerings may also be subject to their own, Service-specific rights and restrictions as further described in the Documentation for each specific ST Offering (“Starter Tier Service Specific Terms”). Those Starter Tier Service Specific Terms are incorporated by references into these Terms.
4.4. Additional Restrictions. In addition to the restrictions included in the Google ToS, you will not, and won’t let your End Users:
(a) copy, modify, or create derivative work of the ST Offerings; or
(b) access or use the ST Offerings (i) for High Risk Activities; (ii) in violation of the AUP, (iii) in a manner intended to circumvent usage limits or quotas; (iv) to engage in cryptocurrency mining; (v) to operate or enable any telecommunications service or in connection with any Customer Application that allows End Users to place calls or to receive calls from any public switched telephone network; (vi) for materials or activities that are subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) maintained by the United States Department of State; (vii) in a manner that breaches, or causes the breach of, Export Control Laws; or (viii) to transmit, store, or process health information subject to United States Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations except as permitted by an executed HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (BAA).
5. Data Use.
5.1. "Your Content" means the content (including any personal data) you or your End Users submit to the ST Offering and any generated responses. When you use the ST Offering, we process Your Content in accordance with the DPA.
5.2. Other Data. We also collect personal data necessary to operate and maintain the ST Offerings, such as account information, billing history, direct communications and feedback, and usage details (including operational status, performance metrics, and other technical details). We encourage you to read our Privacy Policy (although it's not part of these ST Additional Terms) to better understand how we protect this data related to your use of ST Offerings as a controller under applicable law.
6. Your Obligations.
6.1. Accounts. You may sign in to the ST Offerings using a Google Account. You are responsible for all activity that occurs under the Google Account you use to sign in to the ST Offering (your “Starter Tier Account”), including taking reasonable steps to keep it secure.
6.2. Compliance. You will (a) make sure that you and your End Users' use of the ST Offerings complies with the Terms, (b) use commercially reasonable efforts to prevent and terminate any unauthorized use of, or access to, the ST Offerings, and (c) promptly notify Google of any unauthorized use of, or access to, the ST Offerings, your Starter Tier Account, or your password of which you become aware. We reserve the right to investigate any potential violation by you of the AUP, which may include reviewing Customer Applications or Your Content.
6.3. Privacy. You are responsible for any consents and notices required to permit (a) your use and receipt of the ST Offerings and (b) Google's accessing, storing, and processing of data you provide (including Your Content, if applicable) under the Terms.
6.4. Responsibilities for Agentic AI. The ST Offerings may include AI agents that perform tasks on your behalf. You are solely responsible for configuring these agents; authorizing their access to data, applications, and systems; supervising the agents; and for all actions they perform or fail to perform.
6.5. Connected Services. You may be able to access and interact with other services, software libraries, APIs, and content through the ST Offerings, including some provided by third parties. These offerings are subject to applicable terms and licenses, as described in the “Other content” section of the Google ToS. You are responsible for your use of any third-party offerings and for complying with their applicable terms. Google does not operate, control, or endorse these offerings, and is not responsible or liable for them. When you sign in using credentials provided by a third party, we rely on that third party for necessary identity verification.
6.6. Third-Party Content Enforcement. If your use of the ST Offerings is mainly to host third-party content or facilitate the sale of goods or services between third parties on your platform, you will take the following steps to enforce compliance with the Terms, including the AUP: (a) publish policies defining what content is prohibited on your platform (e.g., illegal content); (b) maintain a publicly accessible method (e.g., webform or email alias) to receive notices of violation of that policy (in addition to a monitored communications channel for Google); and (c) promptly review and address any such notices, and remove content where appropriate.
7. Suspension or Discontinuation
7.1. Discontinuation and Updates. Google may, by giving you thirty (30) days’ notice (a) discontinue Starter Tier or your access to Starter Tier, or (b) update Starter Tier or ST Offerings at any time.
7.2. Other Suspension. Google may immediately Suspend all or part of your use of the ST Offerings as described in the Google TOS (including if you materially breach the Google TOS or these ST Additional Terms) or if (a) Google reasonably believes Suspension is needed to protect the ST Offerings, Google’s infrastructure supporting the ST Offerings, or any other customer of the ST Offerings (or their End Users); or (b) there is suspected unauthorized third-party access to the ST Offerings.
7.3. Google Account. For the purposes of enforcement, including suspension and termination, references to your “Google Account” in the Google ToS will be interpreted to mean your Starter Tier Account.
8. Miscellaneous
8.1. Survival. Sections 2, 4.3, 4.4, 5, 6, 7.3 and 8.2 will survive any expiration or termination of the Starter Tier Additional Terms of Service.
8.2. Governing Law. The Google ToS’s governing law and dispute resolution provisions also apply to these ST Additional Terms.
8.3. Precedence. In the event of a conflict between these ST Additional Terms and the Google ToS, then, unless you’re in France, these ST Additional Terms will govern with respect to the ST Offerings.
8.4. Definitions
(a) “AUP” means the then-current acceptable use policy stated at https://cloud.google.com/terms/aup.
(b) “Customer Application” means a software program that you create or host using the ST Offerings.
(c) “Documentation” means the Google documentation (as may be updated from time to time) in the form generally made available by Google to its customers for use with the ST Offerings, including at https://docs.cloud.google.com/docs/starter-tier.
(d) “End Users” means anybody you allow to use the ST Offerings.
(e) “Export Control Laws” means all applicable export and re-export control laws and regulations, including (a) the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) maintained by the U.S. Department of Commerce, (b) trade and economic sanctions maintained by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, and (c) the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) maintained by the U.S. Department of State.
(f) "High Risk Activities" means activities where the use or failure of the ST Offerings would reasonably be expected to lead to death, personal injury, or environmental or property damage (such as the creation or operation of nuclear facilities, air traffic control, life support systems, or weaponry).
(g) “Starter Tier” means Google’s universal, low friction, quota controlled program for Google Cloud services, as further described above in Section 1 (Services).
(h) “Suspend” means disabling or limiting access to or use of the ST Offerings or components of the ST Offerings.
(i) “Your Content” has the meaning in Section 5.1 (Your Content) above.
