Google announced it will start restricting access to content on Drive if they violate the company’s Terms of Service or policies.
The tech giant implemented the changes early last week as part of its mission to keep Drive (a cloud-based storage system) free from content it views as abuse.
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If a file is flagged on Drive, the original owner of the content will still be able to access it.
However, the flagged file will be neither publicly accessible nor shareable, even with users who have the link.
The owners of a flagged item may see a flag next to the file and will subsequently receive an email notifying them of the restriction.
The email notification, Google said, “will help ensure owners of Google Drive items are fully informed about the status of their content, while also helping to ensure that users are protected from abusive content.”
The email will also contain steps instructing the file owner on how to “request a review” of the action taken, assuming they believe it’s a mistake on Google’s part.
If an item gets flagged in a shared drive, the shared drive manager will all receive the notification.
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Google further stated that if a file has conclusively violated its policy, it may then take further action, including “restricting access to the content, removing the content, and limiting or terminating a user’s access to Google products.”
The company made it a point that it would use due diligence when applying these policies, including making exceptions based on “artistic, educational, documentary, or scientific considerations,” and wherever there are “substantial benefits to the public from not taking action on the content.”
Some types of content Google has definitively labeled as abuse include, but are not limited to: Account hijacking, hate speech, child sexual abuse and exploitation, dangerous and illegal activities, malware, and other malicious content, such as phishing, spam, violence, and gore.
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