Does the map set cookies?

No. The map sets no cookies and no browser storage, and the view count request is sent without cookies.

Do I need a Google API key?

No. The map does not use a Google API, so there is no key to create or restrict.

Which third-party hosts does the map contact?

Besides www.takeout-tools.com and tiles.takeout-tools.com, it can contact jsDelivr for category emoji icons and OpenFreeMap in production if the tiles host fails.

Does the map load anything from Google?

Not while it displays. The Open in Google Maps link only goes to Google when a visitor taps it.

Is the visitor's IP address stored?

Every host listed above receives it as part of serving the request, like any website. It is not passed on to the view count.

Can I check this myself?

Yes. Open your page in a private window, watch the network panel, and look at the cookies and storage for the site. You should see only the hosts listed above.

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A GDPR-Friendly Map Embed With No Cookies

A map embed that sets no cookies and no browser storage and needs no API key. Here is every host it contacts and exactly how views are counted.

October 25, 2026

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4 min read

You want a map on your website without Google Maps cookies or an API key. The hosted map embed from Takeout Tools sets no cookies and no browser storage, needs no API key, and loads nothing from Google unless a visitor taps Open in Google Maps.

The short answer: the map code never writes a cookie, never uses local or session storage, and talks to a short list of hosts that is named below. This page describes what the embed does. It is not legal advice, so check it against your own situation.

What the Map Loads

The embed is an iframe that points at https://www.takeout-tools.com/embed/your-map-id. Inside it, the map can contact these hosts:

www.takeout-tools.com serves the page, the map code and the view count request described below.
tiles.takeout-tools.com serves the map tiles and the label fonts.
cdn.jsdelivr.net (jsDelivr) serves the category emoji icons. This request only happens when a category uses an emoji.
tiles.openfreemap.org (OpenFreeMap) is a backup tile source. In production it is only contacted if the tiles host fails.

Like any web request, each of these hosts receives the visitor's IP address and browser details when the browser fetches from it. The map does not load a Google script, a Google font or a Google API.

Open in Google Maps on a place card is an ordinary link built from the place's coordinates. Nothing is requested from Google until a visitor taps it. The attribution links at the bottom of the map to OpenStreetMap and the tile providers work the same way.

How Views Are Counted

Each time a map is opened, the page sends one small request to www.takeout-tools.com. It carries the map's id, whether it was an embed or the public link, a random id that exists only for that page load, and the hostname of the referring site, when the browser supplies one. A smaller request is also sent when a visitor opens a place or follows a link on the map.

The count is recorded on the server. It has no visitor profile, and the visitor's IP address is not passed on to the analytics tool. Only the hostname of the embedding site is kept, not the full address of the page. Bots are filtered out using the browser's user agent, which is not stored. The request sends no cookies.

That means the view count records which site a map was embedded on only when the browser sends a referrer, and nothing that identifies a visitor across visits.

Other Ways to Embed a Map

Google's own iframe is a Google product, so what it loads is described in Google's own documentation.
Google My Maps is another Google product with its own documentation. Our guide to embedding a Google Maps list on your website compares this with a hosted map.
A hosted map from Takeout Tools is the route described on this page.

Whichever you choose, load the page with your browser's network panel open and read the list of requests. That is the most reliable way to see what any embed does on your own site.