![]() ![]() Google Drive is more vulnerable than other cloud service providers What’s even worse is that if you make your documents public, anyone will be able to find them by simply using Google search. However, you won’t be notified if someone has shared your document, so you will have to keep an eye on who currently has access to it. You can amend sharing permissions by going to advanced settings. It’s difficult to track what happens with your shared documents as anyone with editing permissions can easily share the document with anyone else. However, that presents even more privacy risks because these documents lack some basic security measures. Google allows you to quickly give viewing, editing or commenting permissions to your friends and colleagues. You have little control over files you shared with others The complete guide to deleting your Google history How-To ģ. They also state that, by using Google services, you agree to share your data with unspecified third parties that “Google works with.” Such vague statements leave a lot of freedom for interpretation and show that what’s stored on Google Drive is essentially Google’s property. Google’s privacy agreement also states that they have a worldwide license to “use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works, communicate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute” your documents uploaded on Google Drive. In their privacy statement, they admit that your documents could be accessed by Google in special circumstances, for example, if required by law enforcement agencies. What if a project you’ve been working on for months is suddenly irretrievably deleted?Īlthough Google encrypts your files, they are still not completely private. The company says that it scans and analyzes your files to improve their services and provide you with “personally relevant product features, such as customized search results, tailored advertising, and spam and malware detection.” However, it appears that Google bots that crawl your documentshave been trained to look for ‘objectionable’ content and then delete it without further explanation. Would you like such sensitive information to influence what’s served to you online and be made public? Some files you store on Google Drive might be very personal. Any information collected about you is used to create your ‘user profile’ and show you personalised Google search results or Google ads. Google admits to scanning all the documents you upload on your Drive. It isn’t the best option for people who care about their privacy and here’s why: 1. This is not a law‚ but rather a best-practice guide cloud service providers may choose to ascribe toOperating in a country that ascribes to European Union guidelines for the protection of personal informationIf you are still unsure consult global law firm DLA Piper's “Protection Laws of the World” guide.Cato warned businesses‚ saying that in failing to comply with the POPI Act they may suffer costly reputational damage.Why should you look for Google Drive alternatives? This according to John Cato‚ expert on the Protection of Personal Information (POPI) Act‚ speaking at a cyber crime seminar in Johannesburg on Friday.The Act‚ signed into law in 2013‚ says a company or person may not transfer personal information about a third party to another country‚ if that country does not have laws offering the same levels of protection of personal information as the POPI Act.This means that transferring information to an offshore cloud service which is not subject to laws as strict as South Africa's could place you in violation of the law.According to Cato‚ most cloud services operating in European Union countries are a safe bet under their laws‚ but US-based services are more risky.Cato said that as a cloud user‚ you would have to decide for yourself whether your service is on the safe side‚ but that there are checks you could run to avoid placing yourself at risk.Cloud services should be safe to use if they are:Compliant with the ISO 27018 standard for protection of personal information. ![]() Google Drive‚ Dropbox‚ Mega‚ Tresorit? Choose your cloud service wisely to avoid finding yourself on the wrong side of the law. ![]()
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