Last updated: September 11, 2025
These policies apply to Google Chat (“Chat”). When applying these policies, we may make exceptions based on educational, documentary, scientific, or artistic considerations, or where there are other substantial benefits to the users of the service. Be sure to check back from time to time, as these policies may change. Learn how to block users in Chat. Please also refer to Google's Terms of Service for more information.
Child Safety
Do not create, upload, or distribute content that exploits or abuses children. This includes all child sexual abuse materials. To report content on a Google product that may exploit a child, click “Report abuse.” If you find content elsewhere on the internet, please contact the appropriate agency in your country.
More broadly, Google prohibits the use of our products to endanger children. This includes, but is not limited to, predatory behavior towards children, such as:
- Child grooming: For example, befriending a child online to facilitate, either online or offline, sexual contact and/or exchanging sexual imagery with that child
- Sextortion: For example, threatening or blackmailing a child by using real or alleged access to a child’s intimate images
- Sexualization of a minor: For example, imagery that depicts, encourages, or promotes the sexual abuse of children or the portrayal of children in a manner that could result in the sexual exploitation of children
- Trafficking of a child: For example, advertising or soliciting a child for commercial sexual exploitation
If we become aware of such content, we will remove such content and take appropriate action, which may include reporting to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, limiting access to product features, and disabling accounts. If you believe a child is in danger of or has been subject to abuse, exploitation, or trafficking, contact the police immediately. If you have already made a report to the police and still need help, or you have concerns a child is being or was being endangered on our products, you can report the behavior to Google.
Dangerous & Illegal Activities
Do not use Chat to engage in illegal activities, or to promote activities, goods, services, or information that cause serious and immediate harm to people or animals. While we permit general information for educational, documentary, scientific, or artistic purposes about this content, we draw the line when the content directly facilitates harm or encourages illegal activity. We will take appropriate action if we are notified of unlawful activities, which may include reporting you to the relevant authorities, removing access to some of our products, or disabling your Google Account.
Deceptive Practices, Fraud & Scams
Do not deceive, mislead, or confuse users for financial gain or personal harm. This includes providing instructions on, recruiting for, or facilitating scams and fraud. Deceptive content includes, but is not limited to, fake reviews, “get rich quick” schemes, advance fee, romance, sweepstakes, and investment scams.
Harassment, Bullying & Threats
Do not harass, bully, or threaten others. We also don’t allow this product to be used to engage or incite others in these activities. This includes singling someone out for malicious abuse, threatening someone with serious harm, sexualizing someone in an unwanted way, exposing private information of someone else that could be used to carry out threats, disparaging or belittling targets of violence or tragedy, inciting others to carry out these activities, or harassing someone in other ways. Keep in mind that online harassment is illegal in many places and can have serious offline consequences for both the harasser and the target. We may take appropriate action if we are notified of threats of harm or other dangerous situations, which may include reporting you to the relevant authorities, removing access to some of our products, or disabling your Google Account.
Hate Speech
Do not engage in 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.
Impersonation & Misrepresentation of Identity
Do not impersonate a person or organization or misrepresent yourself. This includes impersonating any person or organizations you don’t represent; or providing misleading information about a user/site’s identity, qualifications, ownership, purpose, products, services, or business.
This also includes content or accounts misrepresenting or concealing their ownership or primary purpose such as misrepresenting or intentionally concealing your country of origin or other material details about yourself when directing content about politics, social issues, or matters of public concern to users in a country other than your own.
Malware & Similar Malicious Content
Do not transmit malware or any content that harms or interferes with the operation of the networks, servers, end-user devices, or other infrastructure. This includes the direct hosting, embedding, or transmission of malware, viruses, destructive code, or other harmful or unwanted software or similar content. This also includes content that transmits viruses, causes pop-ups, attempts to install software without the user’s consent, or otherwise impacts users with malicious code. See our Safe Browsing Policies for more information.
Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery & Sextortion
Do not store or distribute private nude, sexually explicit, or intimate images or videos without the subject’s consent. If someone has sent a private nude, sexually explicit, or intimate image or video of you, please report it to us here.
Do not coerce (using power, influence, or pressure), encourage, or solicit financial gain or other sexual content from an individual through the threat of disseminating their explicit, intimate, or embarrassing content of a sexual nature.
Personal & Confidential Information
Do not share or distribute other people’s personal or confidential information without their authorization. This includes the use of sensitive information, such as US Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, images of signatures, and personal health documents. In most cases where this information is broadly available elsewhere on the internet or in public records, like national ID numbers listed on a government website, we generally don’t take action.
Phishing
Do not use this product for phishing. This includes soliciting or collecting sensitive data such as passwords, financial details, and social security numbers.
Spam
Do not spam. This may include unwanted promotional or commercial content, unwanted content that is created by an automated program, unwanted repetitive content, nonsensical content, or anything that appears to be a mass solicitation.
Violent Organizations & Movements
Known violent non-state organizations and movements aren’t permitted to use this product for any purpose. Do not distribute content that facilitates or promotes the activities of these groups, such as recruiting, coordinating online or offline activities, sharing manuals or other materials that could facilitate harm, promoting ideologies of violent non-state organizations, promoting terrorist acts, inciting violence, or celebrating attacks by violent non-state organizations. Depending upon the content, we may also take action against the user.
Policy enforcement
Google may disable accounts that are found to be in violation of these policies. If your account is disabled, and you believe it was a mistake, learn how to ask us to restore your account.