Google Drive of historical footage locked and flagged as terrorist activity (support.google.com)

Article summary

The article discusses a situation where a Google Drive account containing historical footage was locked and flagged as terrorist activity. The details of the article are not available, but the comments suggest that this is not an isolated incident and that Google's customer support can be inadequate. Google's free services are particularly prone to this issue, while paid services like Google Workspace may offer better support. The incident highlights the importance of having redundant backups and being cautious when relying on a single storage solution.

Main themes

• Google Drive
• customer support
• data storage
• cloud providers
• redundant backups
• encryption
• data portability
• corporate priorities
• user protection

What commenters say

• Google's customer support is inadequate, especially for free services, and users often have to rely on social media or online forums to get help.
• Paid Google services like Google Workspace offer better support, including phone, email, and chat support.
• Relying on a single storage solution, like Google Drive, can be risky and it's essential to have multiple, redundant backups.
• Encrypting backups can help protect against arbitrary scans, but may also lead to issues if the encryption is flagged as suspicious.
• Google's actions may be a result of a flawed AI or bot, but the company's lack of response and support exacerbates the problem.
• Having a contingency plan in place is crucial when using cloud providers, as they can potentially turn on users at any time.
• The incident highlights the importance of data portability and the need for laws to protect users' data.
• Google's priorities may not align with users' needs, and the company may not care about individual users' problems unless they become a PR issue.
• Treating cloud providers like potentially hostile adversaries can help users prepare for potential issues and protect their data.
• The difference in support quality between free and paid Google services may be a deliberate choice by the company to incentivize users to pay for premium services.