Not technically. GPLs requirements kick in the moment you make a copy for you own use, it's just that there aren't any requirements that apply under those conditions.

But they'd have to take effect right away, otherwise you'd be illegally copying copyrighted software :). It is the GPL license that grants personal use without restriction.

You didn't make that copy, the person you got it from did.

I don't need to be granted permission to run a program on my own computer.

Downloading is both literally and legally "creating a copy", at least in the US. [0]

> I don't need to be granted permission to run a program on my own computer.

Correct, you can run programs on your computer without permission. It's the 'loading the program on to your disk' part that you may need permission for.

[0]: https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-digital.html

> Uploading or downloading works protected by copyright without the authority of the copyright owner is an infringement of the copyright owner's exclusive rights of reproduction and/or distribution.

Those are the terms, correct. Using the code in pretty much any way you want without redistributing is adhering to those terms.

Why do you try say that means there are no terms?

The terms are ridiculously generous. But there are terms and those are they.