Google charts are an interesting tool for producing graphic representations of your data.. The Google Chart API returns a PNG-format image in response to a URL.

This is an extremely useful tool, and there is already more than one wrapper for the API so that you can call it from your code.

But how about the security aspects of this tool? Well, if you're worried about availaibility, you can store the resulting .png file on your own server, and provide your own resilience.

However, the confidentiality and integrity aspects are quite suspect. Only http is available, not https. This is a shame, as your business data deseerves better than this. You've provided HTTPS for your website, perhaps strong authentication and have protected your servers and database. Then you send that data unprotected across the internet.....

Also, you're at the mercy of Google for protection of the data while it's on their servers. I know all the techies are going to say "Yeah, but Google use xyz operating system and abc brand firewalls." Fine, but have they vetted the CVs of the admin staff that work on those servers? How do they dispose of the discs? How is the dev environment segregated from production?

If I was a hacker/criminal/hostile government, Google Charts would be a prime target for my attack.

I'd suggest the answer at present is to only send non-sensitive data across the internet to this service.

What's non-sensitive for your company? OK, answer the following question:

Can you print out the data on A4 paper, stand in your local shopping mall and hand it out to everyone passing? If the answer is NO, then don't use Google Charts for that data.