Google Drive

Is Google Drive safe?

Yes, for most people and most files. Google Drive encrypts files in transit and on Google's servers, sits behind one of the best-protected accounts available to ordinary users, and, unlike most Google apps, is not part of the advertising machine: Google says Drive does not use your content for ads, and Apple's privacy label lists no data used for third-party advertising. The limits are that Google holds the keys, phishing through fake shared files is common, and losing your Google account means losing your files. We score Drive 70/100, level with Google Wallet (70) and above Gmail (62).

Can Google read your files?

Its systems do, for specific jobs. Google's Drive privacy page says it processes your content for spam filtering, virus detection, malware protection and search within your own account, and collects performance and crash data to keep the service running. It says people at Google access private content "only when we have your permission or are required to by law", and publishes government requests in its Transparency Report.

That is the key difference from an end-to-end encryptedEnd-to-end encryptionEncryption in which only the sender and the recipient can read a message. The company running the service cannot see its content.More in the glossary service such as Proton Drive or iCloud with Advanced Data Protection. Drive files are encrypted, but with keys Google controls, so a court order, a rogue insider or a successful attack on Google could in principle reach them. For most documents this does not matter. For scans of passports, medical records or anything a legal opponent might want, encrypt the file yourself before uploading.

Apple's label is short by Google's standards. It lists user and device IDs for Google's own marketing, and contacts, files, search history, coarse location and purchase history as linked to you for app features, analytics and personalisation. There is no "Used to Track You" section and no third-party advertising purpose, unlike Chrome and the Google app. Google Play's data safety section says Drive shares no data with other companies.

The account is the weak point

Almost every Drive horror story is an account story. If someone takes over your Google account, they get your files; if Google disables your account, you lose them too. Google's abuse policies let it review content, remove files and restrict or end access to its products when it finds a violation, and those restrictions stay unless you win an appeal. Child sexual abuse material is banned outright across Google products.

Google also says it may act on accounts that have been inactive for a long time, which can include deleting content; its policies use a two-year mark. Drive is a convenient copy of your files, not a guarantee that they will be there in ten years.

Phishing through shared files

Drive has no public feed and no strangers' comments, so harmful content is less of a problem than on social apps. The risk is the share button. Anyone can share a file with your email address, and the notification comes from Google, so it gets past filters that would block an ordinary scam email. The usual bait is a fake invoice, contract or "document awaiting approval" with a link to a fake sign-in page. Google warns you when you try to download a file it judges suspicious, but that check does not catch every phishing document.

How to use Google Drive safely

1. Protect your Google account with a passkeyPasskeyA way to sign in without a password. Your device holds a key tied to one website or app and unlocks it with your fingerprint, face or PIN.More in the glossary or 2-step verification, and keep the recovery phone and email up to date.
2. Ignore shared files you did not expect, especially ones that ask you to sign in again. Remove them from "Shared with me" and report them.
3. Check sharing on important folders. Change "Anyone with the link" to named people when you no longer need public access.
4. Encrypt highly sensitive files before uploading them.
5. Run Google Takeout a few times a year and keep a copy of important files outside Google.
6. Sign in at least once every two years if Drive holds an archive you rarely use.

How we scored it

After the regulatory record, security (74) and transparency and control (72) are Drive's strongest factors: strong account protection, private-by-default files and easy export. Privacy (62) is higher than for most of Google's other apps because Drive content is not used for ads, but held back by the lack of end-to-end encryptionEnd-to-end encryptionEncryption in which only the sender and the recipient can read a message. The company running the service cannot see its content.More in the glossary. We found no fine or order that names Drive, so the regulatory record (88) is its best factor; Google's fines over other apps do not count here.