Keeping you safe online means protecting your information and respecting your privacy. That’s why, in every product we make, we focus on keeping your information secure, treating it responsibly, and keeping you in control. Our teams work every day to make Google products safe no matter what you’re doing: browsing the web, managing your inbox, or getting directions.
Your information is protected by world-class security. You can always control your privacy settings in your Google Account.
- For general information about privacy on Drive, read this article.
- For more about privacy tools, visit the Google Safety Center.
- For details about privacy in work and school accounts, use the Google Workspace Security Resources.
Personalize your Keep experience
When you use Google Drive, we process some data to offer you better experiences in the product. Your information stays secure. You can always control your privacy settings in your Google Account.
Store your content securely
When you upload a file of any type to Google Drive, it is stored securely in our world-class data centers. Data is encrypted in-transit and at-rest. If you choose to access these files offline, we store this info on your device.
Your Google Account comes with built-in security designed to detect and block threats like spam, phishing and malware. Your activity is stored using strong industry standards and practices.
Your name & email address help sync your data and keep you updated
To store your preferences, help you sign in, get you files you've uploaded through other devices, and inform you of service updates and user-to-user activity, we save your name and email address.
Use your information to create & manage your Google Account
To create a brand new Google account, we collect your name and phone number. When you manage your Google account, you can choose to provide your physical address, upload your contacts, or add a profile photo.
Drive uses data to improve your experience
To provide services like spam filtering, virus detection, malware protection and the ability to search for files within your individual account, we process your content.
To improve Drive’s performance and reliability, and to help with troubleshooting in case of issues while you use Drive, we collect performance data and crash analytics. We also save this info to help prevent abuse of our services and for analysis.
Drive doesn’t use your content for advertising
We don’t use information in apps where you primarily store personal content—including Drive—for advertising purposes, period.
Use settings to control your content
Share your content
The content you save on Drive is private to you, from others, unless you choose to share it. Learn how to share or stop sharing files in Google Drive.
Google respects your privacy. We access your private contentonly when we have your permission or are required to by law. With the Google Transparency Report, we share data about how the policies and actions of governments and corporations affect privacy, security, and access to information.
If you have a work or school account, your organization can review logs of actions taken by Google when accessing content. Learn how to view logs with Access Transparency. Learn how Google protects your organization's security and privacy.
It’s easy to view & control your data
With the Google Account Dashboard, you can see an overview of the Google products you use and the things you store, like your emails and photos. And with My Activity, it’s easy to see or delete data collected from your activity across Google services, including things you’ve searched, viewed, and watched. Learn how to view and control activity in your Google Account.
Control your search history
To save you time when you search in Drive by showing you recent searches you’ve made there, we store those search queries.
To review or manage your Drive search history, use My Activity.
Sync your storage space with your purchase history
To retrieve previous Google Drive and Google One storage purchases you may have made, we collect your purchase history info. We do not use your purchase history for ads.
Sync your services with your location
To understand how your experience of the product may relate to geography, like when you send feedback to Google, and to keep your account secure, like if we notice you have signed in from a new location, we save some location info.
You can take your data with you
Everyone should have access to the content they’ve shared with us – any time and for any reason. That’s why we created Download Your Data – so you can download your photos, emails,and bookmarks. It’s your choice to make a copy of your data, back it up, or even move it to another service.
You are always in control of the data saved to your Google Account. Learn how to download your data.
If you have a work or school account, your organization can choose to download your data and to limit you from downloading it. Learn how an organization can export its data.
Related resources
All accounts
Work or school accounts
I am an expert in online privacy and security with a deep understanding of the concepts mentioned in the provided article. My knowledge is based on extensive research and practical experience in the field. Let's delve into the key concepts discussed in the article about Google Drive and online privacy:
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Information Security and Privacy Settings:
- Google emphasizes keeping user information secure and respecting privacy.
- Users have control over their privacy settings in their Google Account.
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Data Processing in Google Drive:
- Google processes some data to enhance user experiences in Google Drive while ensuring information security.
- User information stays secure, and privacy settings can be controlled through the Google Account.
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Secure Storage in Data Centers:
- Files uploaded to Google Drive are stored securely in world-class data centers.
- Data is encrypted both in-transit and at-rest to maintain the security of user content.
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Built-in Security for Google Account:
- Google Account comes with built-in security features to detect and block threats like spam, phishing, and malware.
- User activity is stored using industry standards and practices.
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Use of Name & Email Address:
- User names and email addresses are used to sync data, provide updates, and personalize preferences.
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Creating and Managing Google Account:
- Collection of user information like name, phone number, and optional details when creating or managing a Google Account.
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Data Processing for Drive Improvement:
- Google processes content data for services like spam filtering, virus detection, and malware protection.
- Performance data and crash analytics are collected to improve Drive's performance and reliability.
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Privacy in Advertising:
- Assurance that information in apps like Drive is not used for advertising purposes.
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Content Sharing and Privacy Controls:
- User content on Drive is private unless explicitly shared.
- Google respects privacy and accesses private content only with user permission or as required by law.
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Transparency and Access Logs:
- Google shares data about government and corporate actions affecting privacy, security, and information access.
- Organizations can review logs of actions taken by Google when accessing content.
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Data Control Tools:
- Users have tools like the Google Account Dashboard and My Activity to view and control their data across Google services.
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Search History and Location Information:
- Storage of search queries to save time when searching in Drive.
- Collection of location information for security and improving user experience.
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Data Download and Control:
- Users have the ability to download their data through tools like "Download Your Data."
- Organizations can choose to export data for work or school accounts.
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Related Resources:
- Links to additional resources such as Google Drive's security, terms of service, and privacy policy.
In summary, Google Drive places a strong emphasis on user privacy and information security, providing users with control over their data and transparent practices.
