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Let's be clear here: this is an unauthorized use of Google servers.

Unless Google provides an explicit Terms Of Service for this API endpoints allowing its use, you can assume that it exists only to serve Google-owned software (like Chrome).

Just because it exists doesn't mean you can use it.

There's an obvious risk that Google can modify the API and less obvious legal risk of misusing someone else's resources.

Doesn't mean you can't play with it and use it for experiments but you probably shouldn't cross the line of actually using it in any production software.



If it's publically accessible and not password or rate-limited then it's fair game for hackers to goof around with. Just don't base your startup on a (any) Google API.


I agree Google could easily change the API at any moment, but otherwise it seems a very grey area at best. Especially since they are including this within the open source parts of Chromium as the article implies.

I wouldn't rely on this for anything I wanted to support, but I don't see that it is incurring a legal risk to work with source code Google themselves have released.




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