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Overview
Google recently notified us that they will be applying a security update to make sharing links of files stored in Google Drive more secure. Between July 26 and August 25, 2021, you may receive a notification from Google telling you which of your files or folders will be affected. For security reasons, Google will not tell IS&T which specific users and/or files/folders will be affected. Only you, the user who owns or manages files, will get the Google notification.
You may receive an email and you will likely see this banner when you open Google Drive:
Clicking either of the links is safe.
The actual changes to access will begin on September 13, 2021 and should be completed by September 30, 2021. This means that, if you have any files affected, you will have between the time you receive the message and September 13 to re-share any files that need attention to avoid bad links or requests for access.
For the files in the list of affected files (found by following the "See files with security update" link in the message), you will need to decide whether each of those files need to be shared again. If they do, you will need to:
- Click the "Share" button at the upper right of the document window.
- In the "Get Link" area at the bottom of the "Share with people and groups box".
- If needed, click the "Change link" to adjust the audience and available actions for the link.
- Click "Copy Link".
- Insert the link in the appropriate web page, Canvas course, or send it to the appropriate people.
Google will provide documentation after the update.
PLEASE NOTE:
- This does not apply to:
- files that have been shared with specific users named in the Share option for the file.
- any "native Google Drive files" such as Google Sheets, Google Docs or Google Slides.
- any file shared by the link after November, 2017.
- any link that a Google user has used to access a linked file before September 13.
- This update will change the links used for some files and may lead to some new file access requests. Access to these files won’t change for people who have already viewed them by following the link.
- If a Google user follows a link for the first time and cannot access the link, they will be able to request access of the owner.
- This may also affect YouTube videos that you have shared. You will also be notified directly about any videos affected.
For More Information
Information from Google on sharing files.