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| Basic Information | |
|---|---|
| Release Year | 2012 |
| Product Type | Cloud, Cloud storage |
| In Production | Yes |
| Official Website | https://drive.google.com |
Google Drive is a cloud storage service released by Google on 24 April 2012.
Consumer impact summary
- User privacy: Google Drive moderation system scans all content uploaded to the cloud in order to detect any possible content that might violate the terms of service. Additionally the default maximum storage space is 5GB, but in order to increase the limit to 15GB, it is required to link a valid phone number.
- Business model: Google Drive offers some storage space for free. However, this storage limit can be increased by paying a Google One subscription. Enterprise Google Drive accounts have unlimited storage space.
Incidents
This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the Google Drive category.
Auto-moderation falsely banning users
The flaws present in the automated moderation system that scans and reviews the files on Google Drive accounts has caused user accounts to be banned for reasons that do not hold up. Some users even have appealed to get their accounts and files back with no success.
As an example, one recent case involved a manga author account being banned for uploading his old art to his Google Drive account for backup purposes. The automated moderation system flagged this action as a copyright infringement and banned the author's account from every Google service. He tried to appeal to Google, but the request was rejected.[1][2]
In February 2021, in a more notable instance, a father took photos of his naked toddler son while consulting about the latter's medical condition via video. The images were uploaded to the health care provider's messaging system, one of which included the father's hand as he was helping to better show the son's swelling in the groin area. Google's automated system flagged the images as child sexual abuse material and immediately banned the father's Google account, costing the man over a decade of contacts, e-mails, and more, and causing him to be the target of a police investigation. Despite having been cleared of any wrong-doing by law enforcement, Google refused to reinstate his account.[3]
Limiting storage space for users not linking their phone number (May 2026)
Since May 2026, the maximum storage limit of 15GB has been limited for users that have not linked their phone number, restricting their storage limit up to 5GB.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ Itosugi, Masahiro (15 May 2026). "Masahiro Itosugi on X". X (in 日本語). Archived from the original on 1 Jun 2026. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
ところで恥を忍んで告白するのですが、私、Googleから垢BANされました。昔描いた漫画のデータをドライブにアップしている時に警告が出て、再審査請求も却下され、見事垢BAN。 まじで、困るよ。いろんなサイトやサービスにGoogleアカウントを使っていたので。 良い子のみんなには関係ないかもしれないけど、「俺、良い子…かな？」って人は気をつけてくれよな！
[By the way, I hate to admit this with all the embarrassment it brings, but I got my Google account banned. It happened when I was uploading data from an old comic I drew to Drive, and a warning popped up. Even my appeal for re-review got rejected, and boom—account banned, just like that. Seriously, it’s a real hassle. I was using that Google account for all sorts of sites and services. This might not affect the goody-two-shoes out there, but if you’re the type thinking, “Me, a goody-two-shoes… maybe?”—watch yourself, alright!] - ↑ Walsh, Marcus (26 May 2026). "Google's AI deletes manga artist's entire digital life overnight". cybernews. Archived from the original on 1 Jun 2026. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ↑ Hill, Kashmir (21 Aug 2022). "A Dad Took Photos of His Naked Toddler for the Doctor. Google Flagged Him as a Criminal". New York Times. Archived from the original on 25 Jun 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ↑ Schoon, Ben (31 May 2026). "Google accounts no longer get 15GB of free storage, only 5GB until you link a phone number". 9To5Google. Archived from the original on 15 May 2026. Retrieved 23 May 2026.