Server hosting
Google Cloud privacy rating
Cloud computing platform from Google offering virtual machines (Compute Engine), Kubernetes, storage, databases and data analytics services.
Summary
Google Cloud scores 50 out of 100 (grade D) on the server hosting criteria. It meets 6 of 12 criteria: no ads or data sales, transparency report, tells users about requests, security headers, Reverse DNS and IPv6. It partly meets independent audit and TLS configuration. It does not meet open source, no trackers or telemetry, mail-friendly (port 25) and anonymous payment. It is based in the United States: Five Eyes member; subject to the US CLOUD Act. Automated tests: SSL Labs grade B and Mozilla HTTP Observatory grade A+.
Score 50 out of 100. How scoring works
Criteria
- No
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No
No trackers or telemetry Weight 3 of 3
Are the website and apps free of third-party trackers, with any analytics anonymous and any telemetry off by default?
The home page loads Google Tag Manager.
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Yes
No ads or data sales Weight 2 of 3
Is the product funded without advertising, ad targeting or selling user data?
Funded by paid usage. The Cloud Privacy Notice says Service Data is not sold or shared with third parties.
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Partial
Independent audit Weight 2 of 3
Has an independent security or privacy audit been published within the last three years?
Only the SOC 3 summary report is public; SOC 2 and ISO audit reports are available to customers.
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Yes
Transparency report Weight 2 of 3
Does the provider regularly publish how many government and legal requests it receives and how it responds?
Google publishes semi-annual counts of government requests for user data, with a separate section for Enterprise Cloud customers.
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Yes
Tells users about requests Weight 1 of 3
Does the provider promise to tell users about requests for their data, unless a court forbids it?
Google emails the account, or its administrator, before disclosing data unless prohibited by law or in emergencies.
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No
Mail-friendly (port 25) Weight 1 of 3
Is outbound port 25 open by default, or opened on request?
Connections to external destinations on port 25 are blocked, and no process to request an exception is documented.
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Yes
Reverse DNS Weight 1 of 3
Can reverse DNS (PTR) records be set for IPv4 and IPv6?
PTR records for external IPv4 and IPv6 addresses are set on the VM's network interface.
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Yes
IPv6 Weight 1 of 3
Is native IPv6 included?
External IPv6 addresses assigned to VM instances are not charged.
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No
Anonymous payment Weight 1 of 3
Can servers be paid for with cryptocurrency or without identity checks?
Payment is by credit card or bank account. Cryptocurrency is not accepted.
Automated tests
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Partial
TLS configuration Weight 2 of 3
Does the website pass the Qualys SSL Labs test with a grade of A or better?
Grade B
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Yes
Security headers Weight 1 of 3
Does the website pass the Mozilla HTTP Observatory test with a grade of A or better?
Grade A+ (110/100+)
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Not tested yet
Modern web standards Weight 1 of 3
Does the website score 90% or higher on the Internet.nl website test?
Not tested yet.