Google Drive offers document storage as part of its suite of productivity apps. It integrates with other Google services such as Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. With a single sign-on, you can store files in Google Drive and access them from other Google apps. These integrations can be useful if your organization uses Google Apps for Work or Education. But each integration comes with trade-offs and risks you should understand before proceeding. If you use the Apps suite by Google, you’ve probably noticed that it has a document storage option called Google Drive. That’s because Google Drive is a brand that refers to various services offered by Google but is not directly accessible as standalone products. Within this article, we delve into what exactly it means when we say someone “owns” your documents in Google Drive and how to regain control over them if necessary.
What does it mean when someone “owns” your documents in Google Drive?
Ownership in Google Drive refers to a user’s permission to edit, comment on, or share a file. This can also include access to the file’s metadata such as the file name, creation date, and last modified date. In short, when you upload a document to Google Drive, you grant its owner or owners full access to it. The owner is whoever creates the file or folder. Owners can change the file’s permissions to limit or expand the number of people who have access to it. While it’s possible to share a file without granting full access, doing so only allows others to download a copy of the file.
How does Google determine who owns your documents?
Google automatically grants ownership of all newly created documents to the user who created them. When one user shares a Google document with another user, ownership is granted to the user who initiated the sharing process. Similarly, if you open a document that was created by someone else, you will be granted ownership of the document. Google may automatically grant ownership of your documents based on several factors. These include your login session, your browser cookies, or your IP address. The exact mechanisms Google uses to grant ownership of documents are not public knowledge. However, there is a consensus among Google Drive users that the aforementioned user-login-based factors are the most likely candidates.
Who owns your documents and what do they have access to?
Google Drive documents are linked to a user’s Google account. A user’s account has certain settings associated with it, one of which is the user’s security settings. When a user shares a document, they have the option to set the document’s “sharing settings.” These sharing settings determine who can see the document and who can edit it. If you have access to a document that was created by someone else, you can see that document’s sharing settings by going to the document and clicking on “share.” If you created the document, you can view its sharing settings by clicking on “share” in the upper right corner of the document. If a document’s “sharing settings” are set to “visible to everyone,” everyone with access to the internet can view it. If you want to restrict access to the document, click on “change” under “sharing settings” and select a different option.
Three Ways Documents in Google Drive Can Be Accessed Or Accessed Again
Google Drive documents can be accessed by three different means: The document’s URL, the document’s email address, and the document’s ID. By default, Google Drive documents are accessed by their URL, which looks something like this: https://drive.google.com/file/d/12345678-ABC-DEF/ Google will allow you to copy the document’s URL and give it to someone else. That person can then click on the document’s URL to access it. Copying a document’s URL does not give that person editing permissions. They can only view the document. If a document’s URL is copied and sent to someone, the document can also be accessed by that person without an account. To do so, the person would have to click “create new” when prompted to log into Google. This gives the person the ability to access the document, but not create or edit new documents.
Two-step verification is the key to regaining control of your documents
If you’re being affected by any of the issues we discussed above, you might be locked out of your documents. This means you can’t edit or access your files, which might cause issues for your project or work. Thankfully, Google offers a solution to this problem, which is the two-step verification process. This is a security feature that requires you to verify your identity using something you have, which is a physical device, and something you know, which is your password. If you enable two-step verification, you will have to verify your identity each time you log in to your Google account. This means that even if someone has access to your account, they will not be able to log in to it without the verification code. This is important because it means that even if someone has access to your documents, they will not be able to edit or delete them. This can be very helpful if you’re worried about malicious people gaining access to your account and trying to take advantage of it.
Wrapping up: Stay vigilant and be wary of who you share documents with!
While Google Drive’s integrations with other Google products can be useful, they come at a cost. Specifically, this cost is your ownership and control over your documents. For Google apps to communicate with one another, they must be granted permission to access your data and files. When you give Google these permissions, they are also granted ownership of your data. This means that Google can edit, delete, or share your documents as they see fit.
There are ways you can regain control of your documents, if necessary, but these require taking precautionary measures and being vigilant in how you share information.