Google Drive Could Soon Start Locking Your Files

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BeauHD posted on Friday December 17, 2021, at 06:20PM from the updated-policies dept.

The new policy for Drive will restrict access to files deemed to be in violation of the company's policies. According to a new post on the website, the search engine will take active steps to identify files hosted on its platform that are in violation of either its Terms of Service or abuse program policies. These files will be flagged to their owner and restricted automatically, which means they can't be shared with other people, and access will be withdrawn from everyone but the owner. The company said that this will help ensure that owners of items in the drive are fully informed about the status of their content, and that users are protected from abusive content.

The change in policy was made to protect against abuse of its services. Cybercriminal activity, hate speech, and content that might endanger children, but also sexually explicit material, are encompassed by this broad catchall. "We need to curb abuses that threaten our ability to provide these services, and we ask that everyone abide by our policies to help us achieve this goal," states the policy document. "After we are notified of a potential policy violation, we may review the content and take action, including restricting access to the content, removing the content, and limiting or terminating a user's access to the products."

"We may make exceptions based on artistic, educational, documentary or scientific considerations," says the search engine. There is a system to request a review of a decision if someone feels a file has been restricted unfairly, but it's unclear how the process will be handled on the part of the search giant.