# Google Voice privacy rating

Phone number service from Google that gives a US number for calls, texts and voicemail through web and mobile apps. It is free for personal accounts in the US and paid as part of Google Workspace.

## Summary

Google Voice scores 38 out of 100 (grade F) on the virtual phone numbers criteria. It meets 3 of 8 criteria: transparency report, tells users about requests and TLS configuration. It partly meets independent audit. It does not meet open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales and security headers. It is based in the United States: Five Eyes member; subject to the US CLOUD Act. Automated tests: SSL Labs grade A and Mozilla HTTP Observatory grade B-.

- Website: https://voice.google.com
- Jurisdiction: United States. Five Eyes member. Subject to the US CLOUD Act.
- Platforms: Web, Android, iOS
- Home page trackers: Google Fonts (not scored), Google Tag Manager
- Category: [Virtual phone numbers](https://privacyratings.com/virtual-phone-numbers/)
- Also rated: [Gmail](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/gmail/) (Email providers), [Gmail app](https://privacyratings.com/email-clients/gmail-app/) (Email clients), [Google Takeout](https://privacyratings.com/email-backup/google-takeout/) (Email backup tools), [Google Chrome](https://privacyratings.com/browsers/google-chrome/) (Browsers), [Google Search](https://privacyratings.com/search-engines/google-search/) (Search engines), [Google Authenticator](https://privacyratings.com/two-factor-authentication/google-authenticator/) (Two-factor authentication), [Google Messages](https://privacyratings.com/messengers/google-messages/) (Messengers), [Google Meet](https://privacyratings.com/video-calls/google-meet/) (Video calls), [Google Public DNS](https://privacyratings.com/dns-resolvers/google-public-dns/) (DNS resolvers), [Google Cloud](https://privacyratings.com/server-hosting/google-cloud/) (Server hosting), [Chrome Remote Desktop](https://privacyratings.com/remote-desktop/chrome-remote-desktop/) (Remote desktop), [Google Keep](https://privacyratings.com/notes/google-keep/) (Notes), [Google Calendar](https://privacyratings.com/calendars/google-calendar/) (Calendars), [Google Docs](https://privacyratings.com/office-suites/google-docs/) (Office suites), [Google Forms](https://privacyratings.com/forms/google-forms/) (Forms and surveys), [Google Translate](https://privacyratings.com/translation/google-translate/) (Translation), [Google Gemini](https://privacyratings.com/ai-assistants/google-gemini/) (AI assistants), [Google Drive](https://privacyratings.com/cloud-storage/google-drive/) (Encrypted cloud storage), [Google Maps](https://privacyratings.com/maps/google-maps/) (Maps and navigation), [Google Analytics](https://privacyratings.com/web-analytics/google-analytics/) (Website analytics), [Google Home](https://privacyratings.com/smart-home/google-home/) (Smart home), [Google Nest Cam](https://privacyratings.com/security-cameras/google-nest-cam/) (Security cameras), [Fitbit](https://privacyratings.com/wearables/fitbit/) (Wearables and health), [Google Fit](https://privacyratings.com/fitness-trackers/google-fit/) (Fitness trackers), [Google Photos](https://privacyratings.com/photo-management/google-photos/) (Photo management)
- Grade: F (38/100)

## Criteria

| Criterion | Answer | Note | Evidence |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Open source | No | Closed source. |  |
| No trackers or telemetry | No | The home page loads Google Tag Manager (automated test). |  |
| No ads or data sales | No | The free personal service is funded by Google, whose business relies on advertising and uses account activity to personalise ads. | https://policies.google.com/privacy |
| Independent audit | Partial | Google Voice is in scope of Google's SOC 2 and SOC 3 audits. Only the SOC 3 summary is public. | https://cloud.google.com/security/compliance/soc-3 |
| Transparency report | Yes | Google publishes counts of government requests for user data twice a year. | https://transparencyreport.google.com/user-data/overview |
| Tells users about requests | Yes | Google states it notifies users before disclosing their information unless prohibited by law or in emergencies. | https://policies.google.com/terms/information-requests |
| TLS configuration | Yes | Grade A | https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/analyze.html?d=voice.google.com&hideResults=on |
| Security headers | No | Grade B- (65/100+) | https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/observatory/analyze?host=voice.google.com |
| Modern web standards | Not tested yet | Not tested yet. |  |

Source: https://privacyratings.com/virtual-phone-numbers/google-voice/
Edit: https://github.com/privacyratings/privacyratings.com/edit/main/ratings/virtual-phone-numbers/google-voice.md