If you use #GoogleDrive, you are also allowing Google to do whatever they want with your files: they can read them, copy them, give them to anyone else, make derivative works, even publish them online without your permission (see attached screenshot). #DropBox is similar.
In other words, private files uploaded to Google Drive are no longer private.
You might want to try #privacy aware #NextCloud instead, which actually lets you control who gets to see/use your stuff:
https://switching.social/ethical-alternatives-to-dropbox-google-drive-and-google-docs/
@switchingsocial This is odd. A lot of people use Google Drive to store files in a way they consider "private", i.e. not shared with other users. It would be quite an uproar if Google, following the terms it outlined here, would grab those files and display the publicly despite the intent of the uploaders. So why hasn't this uproar ever happened?
@switchingsocial I don't know if "others" here includes Google themselves.
Cars used to all run on leaded fuel. It literally poisoned everyone, and it stunted children's development. It was crazy to allow this.
There wasn't an uproar because the poisoning was subtle, it took years to have an effect, and because fuel companies lobbied against lead bans.
Eventually the evidence for harm was overwhelming and leaded fuel was banned by law, but it took years of effort by campaigners to get people/companies/governments to even acknowledge it was happening.
@switchingsocial So you think Google is publicly displaying things that people are not aware are being publicly displayed?
It is impossible to know, because we have no way of checking what Google does.
But we do know that if you use Google Drive, you are giving Google the legal right to share your files with anyone they want to, without even telling you.
The idea of an alternative like NextCloud is that it runs on your own server (or a server that you have rented) so you know exactly what happens to your data. This is a much better approach if you want to control who sees your data.
@switchingsocial Well, I don't think it's impossible to know. We just have to find an instance of someone getting a Google Drive file that was marked private.
To be fair, I do think Google is asking for too many rights. They don't need to create derivative works. But some of the rights they ask for are essential, such as the right to reproduce. Technically, you or I could sue our Mastodon instances if we wanted to for displaying our copyrighted toots, because we haven't granted that right.
@switchingsocial But it's also important to not exaggerate how bad it can be. The terms seem to make it clear that Google employees can do anything with uploaded content. The second paragraph in the ToS also seem to indicate that users have control of how much they want to make public.
If you tell people everything is terrible but they look and it's not terrible, then they're less likely to believe everything else you say.
Also, I already believed you. I'm talking about those who don't yet.
This isn't an exaggeration, this is just quoting directly from the terms of service.
People don't need to believe me, they can go to Google Drive's ToS and read it for themselves.
@switchingsocial I'm not sure how to interpret it, but maybe the next paragraph explains why?
"Sharing settings in Google Drive allow you to control what others can do with your content in Google Drive. By default you are set up as the controller of all content you create or upload to Google Drive. You can share your content and can transfer control of your content to other users."