"The API may be used only for services that are generally accessible
to consumers without charge. Accordingly, You may not use the API for
any service that requires a subscription or other restricted access,
or for which a fee is charged."

So what exactly do "generally" and "other restricted access" mean?

I've read other threads where it seems this paragraph is not clear.
Not only do they fail to answer the question for their use (part free,
part pay) but that is not my issue at all.

I have a genealogy site.  I'd like to use maps to places mentioned in
the genealogy.

Now MOST of the data is open to all, but data on living persons is
limited to close relatives of those people, identified by login with
password.  There is no fee required of these persons (although
donations are accepted), but even with login, they can't see ALL of
the site.

For example, my sister can see data relating to e or my with, but she
cannot see data relating to my wife's cousin.

Is that "restricted access" in the sense of the TOS?

On Jul 5, 4:36 am, Wes Groleau <groleau+goo...@freeshell.org> wrote:

Are you talking about data, or the map? Google want the map to be
accessible by as many people as possible as easily as possible, so
their logo and any advertising they choose to add gets the widest
possible exposure. They don't care how you protect your data just as
long as everyone can get at the map.

I reckon (although there are those who disagree) that it should be
possible -- say -- to set a cookie with a login which controls which
data is displayed on the map. No login: map but no data; with a login,
exactly the same url will show the map with data.

Andrew

On Jul 5, 4:18 am, "warden [Andrew Leach - Maps API Guru]"

Both.  Again, it's a genealogical database.  Click on a link fo a
paticular person.
If that person is deceased, OR you are logged in and you are closely
related to that person, you can see the locations of events in that
person's life.

If the person is living, and you are not logged in or not closely
related, you see a comment about privacy restrictions and almost
nothing else.

To make a map appear in the latter case without markers would require
modification of complicated software, making it difficult for me to
get updates from the developers of that software.  The former case,
however, probably covers 95% or more of the page views.

To disable the privacy features would be a very uncivilized thing to
do.

On Jul 5, 8:43 pm, Wes Groleau <groleau+goo...@freeshell.org> wrote:

Agreed! But if you're hiding the map based on a login, then the login
needs to be free (and easy to get) according to the FAQ. If you hide a
map even to logged-in users, I don't think the TOU would allow you to
use the free API.

Your call, of course.

Andrew

On Jul 5, 5:33 pm, "warden [Andrew Leach - Maps API Guru]"

Well, without a login, they can see 95% (probably more) of the maps.

So, I was tempted to think that fits the word "generally" in the
TOU.....

On Jul 10, 4:54 am, Wes Groleau <groleau+goo...@freeshell.org> wrote:

I believe that "generally" has a specific legal meaning here. It
doesn't mean "mostly" which it might in colloquial usage; I think it
means "without distinction" (ie, always).

However: your call.

Andrew