Googleapis fonts: Hidden API problem slows down the website and imposes GDPR obligations
If you ever thought you had completely freed your website from various API add-ons, this will surprise you. Even when you remove virtually everything (Analytics, Tag Manager, YouTube embeds, and all tracking scripts), you may still be connected to the Google API by a hidden, almost invisible line. This line is Google Fonts – fonts that have quietly found their way into almost every theme, builder, and plugin without you even choosing them. And here’s the most important part: website owners are neither guilty nor liable for being automatically bound by GDPR obligations because of these fonts.
Google Fonts were built into web tools as the default choice, so most people got them “in a package,” without warning and without the option to avoid them.
How did Google Fonts even end up with us?
Google Fonts became the standard because they were:
- free,
- fast,
- easy to use,
- pre-built into WordPress themes, builders, and plugins.
Most site owners didn’t even choose them—they came with the theme, like those “free extras”
you get but don’t really want.
Why they are problematic
When a font is loaded from Google’s servers, the visitor’s browser sends:
- IP address,
- browser information,
- URL of the page.
According to the GDPR, this is the processing of personal data. However, because the data travels to the US, this is legally questionable – even if you don’t have cookies or analytics on your site.
Why are they so difficult to remove?
Even when you think you’ve turned them off, they often still load:
- theme,
- page builder,
- plugin,
- template,
- UI framework.
This is the last “rope” that still pulls you back to the dock, even when you think you’re already free.
Solution: And finaily, digital independence
Local font hosting is the only real solution. This means:
- fonts are stored on your server,
- nothing is sent to Google,
- there are no GDPR risks,
- the site is faster,
- complete “independence” from Google APIs.
How to check if you are still tied to Google Fonts
Open your page, right-click and select View Source, then search for:
fonts.googleapis.com fonts.gstatic.com
If you see this, you are not free yet.
Google Fonts are not a problem because website owners have done something wrong. The problem is that they have been quietly and automatically built into almost every corner of the web—into themes, builders, plugins, and templates.
Once you understand this, it becomes clear why so many people are convinced that they are “free,” when in fact they are still tied down by a hidden string. And when you cut it, your website finally stands on its own two feet – faster, cleaner, and without unnecessary GDPR worries.
