Before you scrape: six questions.

There is no universal "yes" or "no". The answer depends on the site's terms, robots rules, the data type, your jurisdiction and your purpose. This checklist helps you ask the right questions and points to the official text. It is not legal advice.

Google Maps

Official API: Public API. The Places API (New) supports text search, nearby search, place details, autocomplete and photos. A billing account and API key are required.

Terms note: Google Maps content is subject to Google Maps Platform terms and attribution rules. Public business data only; not legal advice.

See every route to Google Maps data, starting with Google Maps Review & Contributor Activity Scraper.

The six checks

  1. Is the data public? If it needs a login, a paywall or a bypass, stop. Scraping private content is a different risk category.
  2. Does the site allow automated access? Read the terms and the robots file. Robots is not the same as a legal permission.
  3. Is it personal data? Profile pages, reviews with names and contact details can trigger GDPR, CCPA or other privacy rules. Business contact data is not automatically exempt.
  4. Is the volume polite? Rate limits exist for a reason. Cache, batch and back off. A 429 or 503 is a signal to slow down, not a puzzle to defeat.
  5. Do you need a licence? Property listings, search results, reviews and social posts can carry broker, platform or copyright restrictions.
  6. Can you explain the purpose? A documented lawful basis and retention policy matter more than a clever workaround.

What this site does

Scraper Finder reports the public API status, the platform terms link and the date the facts were checked. It does not provide legal advice or help bypass access controls.