<s>
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
is	O
a	O
file	B-Application
storage	I-Application
and	O
synchronization	B-Application
service	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
Launched	O
on	O
April	O
24	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
allows	O
users	O
to	O
store	O
files	O
in	O
the	O
cloud	O
(	O
on	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
servers	O
)	O
,	O
synchronize	O
files	O
across	O
devices	O
,	O
and	O
share	O
files	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
a	O
web	B-Application
interface	I-Application
,	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
offers	O
apps	O
with	O
offline	O
capabilities	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
and	O
macOS	B-Application
computers	O
,	O
and	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
iOS	B-Application
smartphones	B-Application
and	O
tablets	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
encompasses	O
Google	B-Application
Docs	I-Application
,	O
Google	B-Language
Sheets	I-Language
,	O
and	O
Google	B-Application
Slides	I-Application
,	O
which	O
are	O
a	O
part	O
of	O
the	B-Application
Google	B-Application
Docs	I-Application
Editors	O
office	O
suite	O
that	O
permits	O
collaborative	O
editing	O
of	O
documents	O
,	O
spreadsheets	B-Application
,	O
presentations	O
,	O
drawings	O
,	O
forms	O
,	O
and	O
more	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Files	O
created	O
and	O
edited	O
through	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Docs	B-Application
suite	O
are	O
saved	O
in	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
offers	O
users	O
15GB	O
of	O
free	O
storage	O
,	O
sharing	O
it	O
with	O
Gmail	B-Application
and	O
Google	B-Algorithm
Photos	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
also	O
offers	O
100GB	O
,	O
200GB	O
,	O
2TB	O
,	O
offered	O
through	O
optional	O
Google	B-Application
One	I-Application
paid	O
plans	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
website	O
,	O
users	O
can	O
search	O
for	O
an	O
image	O
by	O
describing	O
its	O
visuals	O
,	O
and	O
use	O
natural	B-Language
language	I-Language
to	O
find	O
specific	O
files	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
"	O
find	O
my	O
budget	O
spreadsheet	B-Application
from	O
last	O
December	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
website	O
and	O
Android	B-Application
app	O
offer	O
a	O
Backups	O
section	O
to	O
see	O
what	O
Android	B-Application
devices	O
have	O
data	O
backed	O
up	O
to	O
the	O
service	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
completely	O
overhauled	O
computer	O
app	O
released	O
in	O
July	O
2017	O
allows	O
for	O
backing	O
up	O
specific	O
folders	O
on	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
is	O
a	O
key	O
component	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
Workspace	I-Application
,	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
monthly	O
subscription	O
offering	O
for	O
businesses	O
and	O
organizations	O
that	O
operated	O
as	O
G	B-Application
Suite	I-Application
until	O
October	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
part	O
of	O
select	O
Google	B-Application
Workspace	I-Application
plans	O
,	O
Drive	O
offers	O
unlimited	O
storage	O
,	O
advanced	O
file	O
audit	O
reporting	O
,	O
enhanced	O
administration	O
controls	O
,	O
and	O
greater	O
collaboration	O
tools	O
for	O
teams	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
the	O
service	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
's	O
privacy	O
policy	O
was	O
heavily	O
criticized	O
by	O
some	O
members	O
of	O
the	O
media	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
has	O
one	O
set	O
of	O
Terms	O
of	O
Service	O
and	O
Privacy	O
Policy	O
agreements	O
that	O
cover	O
all	O
of	O
its	O
services	O
,	O
meaning	O
that	O
the	O
language	O
in	O
the	O
agreements	O
grants	O
the	O
company	O
broad	O
rights	O
to	O
reproduce	O
,	O
use	O
,	O
and	O
create	O
derivative	O
works	O
from	O
content	O
stored	O
on	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
policies	O
also	O
confirm	O
that	O
users	O
retain	O
intellectual	O
property	O
rights	O
,	O
privacy	O
advocates	O
raised	O
concerns	O
that	O
the	O
licenses	O
grant	O
Google	B-Application
the	O
right	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
information	O
and	O
data	O
to	O
customize	O
the	O
advertising	O
and	O
other	O
services	O
Google	B-Application
provides	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
contrast	O
,	O
other	O
members	O
of	O
the	O
media	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
agreements	O
were	O
no	O
worse	O
than	O
those	O
of	O
competing	O
cloud	B-Application
storage	I-Application
services	I-Application
,	O
but	O
that	O
the	O
competition	O
uses	O
"	O
more	O
artful	O
language	O
"	O
in	O
the	O
agreements	O
,	O
and	O
also	O
stated	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
needs	O
the	O
rights	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
"	O
move	O
files	O
around	O
on	O
its	O
servers	O
,	O
cache	O
your	O
data	O
,	O
or	O
make	O
image	O
thumbnails	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
July	O
2018	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
had	O
over	O
one	O
billion	O
active	O
users	O
,	O
and	O
as	O
of	O
September	O
2015	O
,	O
it	O
had	O
over	O
one	O
million	O
organizational	O
paying	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
was	O
introduced	O
on	O
April	O
24	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
with	O
apps	O
available	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
,	O
macOS	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
a	O
website	B-Application
interface	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
iOS	B-Application
app	O
was	O
released	O
later	O
in	O
June	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
is	O
available	O
for	O
PCs	O
running	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
or	O
later	O
,	O
and	O
Macs	O
running	O
OS	B-Device
X	I-Device
Catalina	I-Device
or	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
indicated	O
in	O
April	O
2012	O
that	O
work	O
on	O
Linux	O
software	O
was	O
underway	O
,	O
but	O
there	O
was	O
no	O
news	O
on	O
this	O
as	O
of	O
November	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2012	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
then-Senior	O
Vice	O
President	O
Sundar	O
Pichai	O
said	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
would	O
be	O
tightly	O
integrated	O
with	O
ChromeOS	B-Operating_System
version	O
20	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2016	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
,	O
going	O
forward	O
,	O
it	O
would	O
drop	O
support	O
for	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
computer	O
software	O
older	O
than	O
1	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2017	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
a	O
new	O
app	O
called	O
Backup	O
and	O
Sync	O
would	O
replace	O
the	O
existing	O
separate	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
and	O
Google	B-Algorithm
Photos	I-Algorithm
desktop	O
apps	O
,	O
creating	O
one	O
unified	O
app	O
on	O
desktop	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2017	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
discontinue	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Drive	O
desktop	O
app	O
in	O
March	O
2018	O
and	O
end	O
support	O
in	O
December	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2021	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
released	O
a	O
new	O
app	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
and	O
Mac	O
which	O
is	O
meant	O
to	O
replace	O
"	O
Backup	O
and	O
Sync	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
Drive	O
File	O
Stream	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2017	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
their	O
new	O
downloadable	O
software	O
,	O
Backup	O
and	O
Sync	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
made	O
mainly	O
to	O
replace	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Drive	O
desktop	O
app	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
discontinued	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
main	O
function	O
is	O
for	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
set	O
certain	O
folders	O
to	O
constantly	O
sync	O
onto	O
their	O
Google	B-Application
Account	I-Application
's	O
Drive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
synced	O
folders	O
and	O
files	O
count	O
against	O
the	O
shared	O
quota	O
allocated	O
between	O
Gmail	B-Application
,	O
Google	B-Algorithm
Photos	I-Algorithm
,	O
and	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
2021	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
combining	O
its	O
Drive	O
File	O
Stream	O
and	O
Backup	O
and	O
Sync	O
products	O
into	O
one	O
product	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
for	O
Desktop	O
,	O
which	O
will	O
support	O
features	O
previously	O
exclusive	O
to	O
each	O
respective	O
Client	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
is	O
available	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
smartphones	B-Application
and	O
tablets	B-Device
running	O
Android	B-Application
6.0	I-Application
"	I-Application
Marshmallow	I-Application
"	I-Application
or	O
later	O
,	O
and	O
iPhones	B-Device
and	O
iPads	B-Device
running	O
iOS	B-Operating_System
14	I-Operating_System
or	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2016	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
ended	O
support	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
devices	O
running	O
Android	B-Application
4.0	I-Application
"	I-Application
Ice	I-Application
Cream	I-Application
Sandwich	I-Application
"	I-Application
or	O
older	O
versions	O
,	O
citing	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
mobile	B-Application
app	I-Application
update	O
policy	O
,	O
which	O
states	O
:	O
"	O
For	O
Android	B-Application
devices	O
,	O
we	O
provide	O
updates	O
for	O
the	O
current	O
and	O
2	O
previous	O
Android	B-Application
versions.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
policy	O
,	O
the	O
app	O
will	O
continue	O
to	O
work	O
for	O
devices	O
running	O
older	O
Android	B-Application
versions	O
,	O
but	O
any	O
app	O
updates	O
are	O
provided	O
on	O
a	O
best-efforts	O
basis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
4	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
rolled	O
out	O
a	O
new	O
feature	O
update	O
in	O
its	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
app	O
version	O
4.2020.18204	O
for	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
iPadOS	B-Operating_System
,	O
known	O
as	O
Privacy	O
Screen	O
,	O
which	O
requires	O
Face	O
ID	O
or	O
Touch	O
ID	O
authentication	O
whenever	O
the	O
app	O
is	O
open	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
has	O
a	O
website	O
that	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
see	O
their	O
files	O
from	O
any	O
Internet-connected	O
computer	O
,	O
without	O
the	O
need	O
to	O
download	O
an	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
improved	O
the	O
functionality	O
to	O
download	O
files	O
locally	O
from	O
the	O
website	O
;	O
users	O
can	O
now	O
compress	O
and	O
download	O
large	O
Drive	O
items	O
into	O
multiple	O
2	O
GB	O
.zip	B-General_Concept
files	I-General_Concept
with	O
an	O
improved	O
naming	O
structure	O
,	O
better	O
Google	B-Application
Forms	I-Application
handling	O
,	O
and	O
empty	O
folders	O
are	O
now	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
.zip	B-General_Concept
,	O
thereby	O
preserving	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
folder	O
hierarchy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
gives	O
every	O
user	O
15	O
GB	O
(	O
1	O
GB	O
=	O
1	O
billion	O
bytes	O
)	O
of	O
free	O
storage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
cloud	O
storage	O
is	O
also	O
shared	O
with	O
Gmail	B-Application
and	O
Google	B-Algorithm
Photos	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Photos	O
at	O
maximum	O
16	O
megapixels	O
and	O
videos	O
at	O
maximum	O
1080p	O
resolutions	O
can	O
be	O
stored	O
using	O
the	O
"	O
Storage	O
saver	O
"	O
setting	O
in	O
Google	B-Algorithm
Photos	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Using	O
the	O
"	O
Storage	O
saver	O
"	O
or	O
"	O
Original	O
quality	O
"	O
settings	O
uses	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
quota	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2018	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
storage	O
plans	O
(	O
including	O
the	O
free	O
15	O
gigabyte	O
plan	O
)	O
would	O
be	O
moved	O
over	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
One	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
,	O
these	O
are	O
the	O
storage	O
plans	O
offered	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
:	O
</s>
<s>
Chromebook	B-Operating_System
users	O
can	O
obtain	O
100	O
GB	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
storage	O
free	O
for	O
2	O
years	O
as	O
long	O
as	O
the	O
promotion	O
is	O
activated	O
within	O
180	O
days	O
of	O
the	O
Chromebook	B-Operating_System
device	O
's	O
initial	O
purchase	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
available	O
in	O
all	O
countries	O
where	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
is	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
offers	O
30	O
GB	O
of	O
Drive	O
storage	O
for	O
all	O
Google	B-Application
Workspace	I-Application
Starter	O
customers	O
,	O
and	O
unlimited	O
storage	O
for	O
those	O
using	O
Google	B-Application
Workspace	I-Application
for	O
Business	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
July	O
2022	O
,	O
the	O
G	B-Application
Suite	I-Application
Workspace	O
for	O
Education	O
–	O
valid	O
for	O
educational	O
institutions	O
and	O
Universities	O
in	O
particular	O
–	O
provides	O
100	O
TB	O
of	O
storage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Before	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
,	O
Google	B-Application
Docs	I-Application
initially	O
provided	O
15	O
GB	O
of	O
storage	O
free	O
of	O
charge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
April	O
24	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
was	O
introduced	O
with	O
free	O
storage	O
of	O
5	O
GB	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
,	O
Gmail	B-Application
,	O
Google	B-Application
Docs	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Picasa	B-Application
had	O
separate	O
allowances	O
for	O
free	O
storage	O
and	O
a	O
shared	O
allowance	O
for	O
purchased	O
storage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Between	O
April	O
2012	O
and	O
May	O
2013	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
and	O
Google+	O
Photos	O
had	O
a	O
shared	O
allowance	O
for	O
both	O
free	O
and	O
purchased	O
storage	O
,	O
whereas	O
Gmail	B-Application
had	O
a	O
separate	O
10	O
GB	O
storage	O
limit	O
,	O
which	O
increased	O
to	O
25	O
GB	O
on	O
the	O
purchase	O
of	O
any	O
storage	O
plan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2012	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
a	O
paid	O
plan	O
would	O
now	O
cover	O
total	O
storage	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
the	O
paid	O
allocation	O
being	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
free	O
;	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2013	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
the	O
overall	O
merge	O
of	O
storage	O
across	O
Gmail	B-Application
,	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
and	O
Google+	O
Photos	O
,	O
giving	O
users	O
15	O
GB	O
of	O
unified	O
free	O
storage	O
between	O
the	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
much	O
cheaper	O
than	O
competitors	O
Dropbox	B-Application
and	O
OneDrive	B-Application
offered	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2018	O
,	O
the	O
paid	O
plans	O
were	O
re-branded	O
as	O
"	O
Google	B-Application
One	I-Application
"	O
to	O
emphasize	O
their	O
application	O
beyond	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
,	O
along	O
with	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
a	O
$2.99	O
/month	O
plan	O
for	O
200GB	O
,	O
and	O
increasing	O
the	O
$9.99	O
plan	O
to	O
2TB	O
at	O
no	O
additional	O
charge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
11	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
charging	O
Google	B-Algorithm
Photos	I-Algorithm
 '	O
storage	O
once	O
the	O
users	O
exceed	O
the	O
limit	O
of	O
15	O
GB	O
on	O
their	O
account	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
update	O
was	O
announced	O
to	O
come	O
into	O
effect	O
from	O
June	O
1	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
which	O
also	O
affects	O
Google	B-Application
Docs	I-Application
Editors	I-Application
file	O
formats	O
(	O
excluding	O
Google	B-Application
Sites	I-Application
)	O
stored	O
in	O
Drive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Before	O
June	O
1	O
,	O
all	O
photos	O
and	O
documents	O
uploaded	O
on	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
online	O
storage	O
will	O
not	O
be	O
counted	O
under	O
the	O
15	O
GB	O
cap	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2021	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
added	O
a	O
5	O
TB	O
storage	O
plan	O
priced	O
at	O
$24.99	O
/month	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
incorporates	O
a	O
system	O
of	O
file	O
sharing	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
creator	O
of	O
a	O
file	O
or	O
folder	O
is	O
,	O
by	O
default	O
,	O
its	O
owner	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Files	O
or	O
folders	O
can	O
be	O
shared	O
privately	O
with	O
particular	O
users	O
having	O
a	O
Google	B-Application
account	I-Application
,	O
using	O
the	O
email	O
address	O
(	O
usually	O
,	O
but	O
not	O
necessarily	O
,	O
ending	O
in	O
@gmail	B-Application
.com	I-Application
)	O
associated	O
with	O
that	O
account	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sharing	O
files	O
with	O
users	O
not	O
having	O
a	O
Google	B-Application
account	I-Application
requires	O
making	O
them	O
accessible	O
to	O
"	O
anybody	O
with	O
the	O
link	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Files	O
and	O
folders	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
made	O
"	O
public	O
on	O
the	O
web	B-Application
"	O
,	O
which	O
means	O
that	O
they	O
can	O
be	O
indexed	O
by	O
search	O
engines	O
and	O
thus	O
can	O
be	O
found	O
and	O
accessed	O
by	O
anyone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
number	O
of	O
external	O
web	B-Application
applications	I-Application
that	O
work	O
with	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
are	O
available	O
from	O
the	O
Chrome	B-Application
Web	I-Application
Store	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
add	O
an	O
app	O
,	O
users	O
are	O
required	O
to	O
sign	O
in	O
to	O
the	O
Chrome	B-Application
Web	I-Application
Store	I-Application
,	O
but	O
the	O
apps	O
are	O
compatible	O
with	O
all	O
supported	O
web	B-Application
browsers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
these	O
apps	O
are	O
first-party	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Google	B-Application
Docs	I-Application
,	O
Sheets	B-Language
,	O
and	O
Slides	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
these	O
apps	O
also	O
work	O
offline	O
on	O
Google	B-Application
Chrome	I-Application
and	O
ChromeOS	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Saving	O
data	O
from	O
a	O
third-party	O
app	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
requires	O
authorization	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
software	O
development	O
kit	O
(	O
SDK	O
)	O
works	O
together	O
with	O
the	B-Application
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
and	O
the	O
Chrome	B-Application
Web	I-Application
Store	I-Application
to	O
create	O
an	O
ecosystem	O
of	O
apps	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
installed	O
into	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2013	O
,	O
the	O
"	O
Create	O
"	O
menu	O
in	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
was	O
revamped	O
to	O
include	O
third-party	O
apps	O
,	O
thus	O
effectively	O
granting	O
them	O
the	O
same	O
status	O
as	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
own	O
apps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2013	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
released	O
an	O
API	B-Application
for	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
that	O
enables	O
third-party	O
developers	O
to	O
build	O
collaborative	O
apps	O
that	O
support	O
real-time	O
editing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Drive	O
viewer	O
on	O
the	O
web	B-Application
allows	O
the	O
following	O
file	O
formats	O
to	O
be	O
viewed	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Files	O
in	O
other	O
formats	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
handled	O
through	O
third-party	O
apps	O
that	O
work	O
with	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
,	O
available	O
from	O
the	O
Chrome	B-Application
Web	I-Application
Store	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Files	O
that	O
are	O
uploaded	O
,	O
but	O
not	O
converted	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
Docs	I-Application
,	O
Sheets	B-Language
,	O
or	O
Slides	B-Application
formats	O
,	O
may	O
be	O
up	O
to	O
5	O
TB	O
in	O
size	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Documents	O
(	O
Google	B-Application
Docs	I-Application
)	O
Up	O
to	O
1.02	O
million	O
characters	O
,	O
regardless	O
of	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
pages	O
or	O
font	O
size	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Document	O
files	O
converted	O
to	O
.gdoc	O
Docs	B-Application
format	O
cannot	O
be	O
larger	O
than	O
50	O
MB	O
(	O
1	O
MB	O
=	O
1	O
million	O
bytes	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spreadsheets	B-Application
(	O
Google	B-Language
Sheets	I-Language
)	O
Up	O
to	O
10	O
million	O
cells	O
,	O
or	O
18,278	O
columns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Presentations	O
(	O
Google	B-Application
Slides	I-Application
)	O
Presentation	O
files	O
converted	O
to	O
.gslides	O
Slides	B-Application
format	O
cannot	O
be	O
larger	O
than	O
100	O
MB	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
April	O
3	O
,	O
2023	O
it	O
was	O
reported	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
had	O
also	O
quietly	O
introduced	O
a	O
user	O
"	O
creation	O
limit	O
"	O
of	O
5	O
million	O
files	O
around	O
February	O
2023	O
..	O
</s>
<s>
Introduced	O
in	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
app	O
in	O
September	O
2016	O
,	O
Quick	O
Access	O
uses	O
machine	O
learning	O
to	O
"	O
intelligently	O
predict	O
the	O
files	O
you	O
need	O
before	O
you	O
've	O
even	O
typed	O
anything	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
feature	O
was	O
announced	O
to	O
be	O
expanded	O
to	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
the	O
web	B-Application
in	O
March	O
2017	O
,	O
though	O
the	O
website	B-Application
interface	I-Application
received	O
the	O
feature	O
in	O
May	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
a	O
search	O
for	O
"	O
mountain	O
"	O
returns	O
all	O
the	O
photos	O
of	O
mountains	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
any	O
text	B-General_Concept
documents	I-General_Concept
about	O
mountains	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Text	O
in	O
images	O
and	O
PDFs	B-Application
can	O
be	O
extracted	O
using	O
optical	B-Application
character	I-Application
recognition	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2016	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
added	O
"	O
natural	B-Language
language	I-Language
processing	I-Language
"	O
for	O
searching	O
on	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Drive	O
website	O
,	O
enabling	O
specific	O
user	O
search	O
queries	O
like	O
"	O
find	O
my	O
budget	O
spreadsheet	B-Application
from	O
last	O
December	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2017	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
integrated	O
Drive	O
and	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Search	O
app	O
on	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
letting	O
users	O
search	O
for	O
keywords	O
,	O
switch	O
to	O
an	O
"	O
In	O
Apps	O
"	O
tab	O
,	O
and	O
see	O
any	O
relevant	O
Drive	O
files	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2016	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
updated	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
app	O
and	O
website	O
with	O
a	O
"	O
Backups	O
"	O
section	O
,	O
listing	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
device	O
and	O
app	O
backups	O
saved	O
to	O
Drive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2017	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
a	O
new	O
app	O
,	O
"	O
Backup	O
and	O
Sync	O
"	O
,	O
would	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
synchronize	O
any	O
folder	O
on	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
computer	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
Content	O
within	O
the	O
Description	O
field	O
is	O
also	O
indexed	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
and	O
searchable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2014	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
updates	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
,	O
which	O
included	O
making	O
the	O
service	O
more	O
accessible	O
to	O
visually	O
impaired	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
offers	O
an	O
extension	O
for	O
Google	B-Application
Chrome	I-Application
,	O
Save	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
,	O
that	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
save	O
web	B-Application
content	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
through	O
a	O
browser	O
action	O
or	O
through	O
the	O
context	O
menu	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
documents	O
and	O
images	O
can	O
be	O
saved	O
directly	O
,	O
webpages	O
can	O
be	O
saved	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
a	O
screenshot	B-Application
(	O
as	O
an	O
image	O
of	O
the	O
visible	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
page	O
or	O
the	O
entire	O
page	O
)	O
,	O
or	O
as	O
a	O
raw	O
HTML	B-Language
,	O
MHTML	B-Application
,	O
or	O
Google	B-Application
Docs	I-Application
file	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
need	O
to	O
be	O
signed	O
into	O
Chrome	B-Application
to	O
use	O
the	O
extension	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
mobile	B-Application
app	I-Application
supported	O
editing	O
of	O
documents	O
and	O
spreadsheets	B-Application
until	O
April	O
2014	O
,	O
when	O
the	O
capability	O
was	O
moved	O
to	O
separate	O
,	O
standalone	O
apps	O
for	O
Google	B-Application
Docs	I-Application
,	O
Google	B-Language
Sheets	I-Language
,	O
and	O
Google	B-Application
Slides	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Drive	O
app	O
on	O
Android	B-Application
allows	O
users	O
to	O
take	O
a	O
photo	O
of	O
a	O
document	O
,	O
sign	O
,	O
or	O
other	O
text	O
and	O
use	O
optical	B-Application
character	I-Application
recognition	I-Application
to	O
convert	O
to	O
text	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
edited	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2014	O
,	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
app	O
was	O
updated	O
with	O
a	O
Material	B-Application
Design	I-Application
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
,	O
improved	O
search	O
,	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
add	O
a	O
custom	O
message	O
while	O
sharing	O
a	O
file	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
new	O
PDF	B-Application
viewer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Before	O
2013	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
did	O
not	O
encrypt	O
data	O
stored	O
on	O
its	O
servers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
information	O
that	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
 '	O
National	O
Security	O
Agency	O
had	O
"	O
direct	O
access	O
"	O
to	O
servers	O
owned	O
by	O
multiple	O
technology	O
companies	O
,	O
including	O
Google	B-Application
,	O
the	O
company	O
began	O
testing	O
encrypting	O
data	O
in	O
July	O
and	O
enabled	O
encryption	O
for	O
data	O
in	O
transit	O
between	O
its	O
data	O
centers	O
in	O
November	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
2021	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
has	O
been	O
providing	O
a	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
Enterprise	O
(	O
formerly	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
for	O
Work	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
business	O
version	O
,	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
Workspace	I-Application
(	O
formerly	O
Google	B-Application
Apps	I-Application
for	I-Application
Work	I-Application
or	O
G	B-Application
Suite	I-Application
)	O
,	O
announced	O
at	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
I/O	O
conference	O
on	O
June	O
25	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
and	O
made	O
available	O
immediately	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
service	O
features	O
unlimited	O
storage	O
,	O
advanced	O
file	O
audit	O
reporting	O
,	O
and	O
eDiscovery	O
services	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
enhanced	O
administration	O
control	O
and	O
new	O
APIs	B-Application
specifically	O
useful	O
to	O
businesses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
press	O
release	O
posted	O
on	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
Official	O
Enterprise	O
Blog	O
assured	O
businesses	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
would	O
encrypt	O
data	O
stored	O
on	O
its	O
servers	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
information	O
being	O
transmitted	O
to	O
or	O
from	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
delivers	O
24/7	O
phone	O
support	O
to	O
business	O
users	O
and	O
has	O
guaranteed	O
99.9	O
%	O
uptime	O
for	O
its	O
servers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2015	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
for	O
Work	O
would	O
be	O
compliant	O
with	O
the	O
new	O
ISO/IEC	O
27018:2014	O
security	O
and	O
privacy	O
standard	O
,	O
which	O
confirmed	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
would	O
not	O
use	O
data	O
in	O
Drive	O
for	O
Work	O
accounts	O
for	O
advertising	O
,	O
enabled	O
additional	O
tools	O
for	O
handling	O
and	O
exporting	O
data	O
,	O
more	O
transparency	O
about	O
data	O
storage	O
,	O
and	O
protection	O
from	O
third-party	O
data	O
requests	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2018	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
a	O
new	O
edition	O
,	O
called	O
Drive	O
Enterprise	O
,	O
for	O
businesses	O
that	O
do	O
n't	O
want	O
to	O
buy	O
the	O
full	O
Google	B-Application
Workspace	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Drive	O
Enterprise	O
includes	O
Google	B-Application
Docs	I-Application
,	O
Sheets	B-Language
,	O
and	O
Slides	B-Application
which	O
permits	O
collaborative	O
editing	O
of	O
documents	O
,	O
spreadsheets	B-Application
,	O
presentations	O
,	O
drawings	O
,	O
forms	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
file	O
types	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Drive	O
Enterprise	O
also	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
access	O
and	O
collaborate	O
on	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Office	I-Application
files	O
and	O
60+	O
other	O
file	O
types	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
for	O
Education	O
was	O
announced	O
on	O
September	O
30	O
,	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
made	O
available	O
for	O
free	O
to	O
all	O
Google	B-Application
Apps	I-Application
for	O
Education	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2016	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
Team	O
Drives	O
,	O
later	O
renamed	O
Shared	O
Drives	O
,	O
as	O
a	O
new	O
way	O
for	O
Google	B-Application
Workspace	I-Application
teams	O
to	O
collaborate	O
on	O
documents	O
and	O
store	O
files	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
individual	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
,	O
Shared	O
Drives	O
offer	O
unlimited	O
storage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2017	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
introduced	O
Drive	O
File	O
Stream	O
,	O
a	O
desktop	O
application	O
for	O
G	B-Application
Suite	I-Application
(	O
now	O
Google	B-Application
Workspace	I-Application
)	O
customers	O
using	O
Windows	B-Application
and	O
macOS	B-Application
computers	O
that	O
maps	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
to	O
a	O
drive	O
letter	O
on	O
the	O
operating	O
system	O
,	O
and	O
thus	O
allows	O
easy	O
access	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
files	O
and	O
folders	O
without	O
using	O
a	O
web	B-Application
browser	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
features	O
on-demand	O
file	O
access	O
,	O
when	O
the	O
file	O
is	O
downloaded	O
from	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
only	O
when	O
it	O
is	O
accessed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
Drive	O
File	O
Stream	O
supports	O
the	O
Shared	O
Drives	O
functionality	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
Workspace	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
2021	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
it	O
will	O
be	O
combining	O
its	O
Drive	O
File	O
Stream	O
and	O
Backup	O
and	O
Sync	O
products	O
into	O
one	O
product	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
for	O
desktop	O
,	O
which	O
will	O
support	O
features	O
previously	O
exclusive	O
to	O
each	O
respective	O
Client	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Signing	O
into	O
the	O
Client	O
using	O
a	O
Google	B-Application
Workspace	I-Application
enable	O
account	O
is	O
expected	O
to	O
enable	O
the	O
same	O
enterprise	O
features	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
is	O
migrating	O
to	O
the	O
new	O
product	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Docs	I-Application
,	O
Google	B-Language
Sheets	I-Language
,	O
and	O
Google	B-Application
Slides	I-Application
constitute	O
a	O
free	O
,	O
web-based	B-Application
office	O
suite	O
offered	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
and	O
integrated	O
with	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
create	O
and	O
edit	O
documents	O
,	O
spreadsheets	B-Application
,	O
and	O
presentations	O
online	O
while	O
collaborating	O
in	O
real-time	O
with	O
other	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
three	O
apps	O
are	O
available	O
as	O
web	B-Application
applications	I-Application
,	O
as	O
Chrome	B-Operating_System
apps	I-Operating_System
that	O
work	O
offline	O
,	O
and	O
as	O
mobile	B-Application
apps	I-Application
for	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
iOS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
apps	O
are	O
also	O
compatible	O
with	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Office	I-Application
file	O
formats	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
suite	O
also	O
consists	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
Drawings	I-Application
,	O
Google	B-Application
Forms	I-Application
,	O
Google	B-Application
Sites	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Google	B-Application
Keep	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Forms	O
and	O
Sites	O
are	O
only	O
available	O
as	O
web	B-Application
applications	I-Application
,	O
Drawings	O
is	O
also	O
available	O
as	O
a	O
Chrome	B-Operating_System
app	I-Operating_System
,	O
while	O
a	O
mobile	B-Application
app	I-Application
for	O
Keep	O
is	O
also	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
suite	O
is	O
tightly	O
integrated	O
with	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
,	O
and	O
all	O
files	O
created	O
with	O
the	O
apps	O
are	O
by	O
default	O
saved	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Updates	O
to	O
Docs	B-Application
,	O
Sheets	B-Language
,	O
and	O
Slides	B-Application
have	O
introduced	O
features	O
using	O
machine	O
learning	O
,	O
including	O
"	O
Explore	O
"	O
,	O
offering	O
search	O
results	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
contents	O
of	O
a	O
document	O
,	O
answers	O
based	O
on	O
natural	B-Language
language	I-Language
questions	O
in	O
a	O
spreadsheet	B-Application
,	O
and	O
dynamic	O
design	O
suggestions	O
based	O
on	O
contents	O
of	O
a	O
slideshow	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
Action	O
items	O
"	O
,	O
allowing	O
users	O
to	O
assign	O
tasks	O
to	O
other	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Google	B-Application
Docs	I-Application
has	O
been	O
criticized	O
for	O
lacking	O
the	O
functionality	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Office	I-Application
,	O
it	O
has	O
received	O
praise	O
for	O
its	O
simplicity	O
,	O
ease	O
of	O
collaboration	O
,	O
and	O
frequent	O
product	O
updates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
order	O
to	O
view	O
and	O
edit	O
Docs	B-Application
,	O
Sheets	B-Language
,	O
or	O
Slides	B-Application
documents	O
offline	O
,	O
users	O
need	O
to	O
be	O
using	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Chrome	B-Application
web	I-Application
browser	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Chrome	B-Application
extension	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
Docs	I-Application
Offline	O
,	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
enable	O
offline	O
support	O
for	O
Docs	B-Application
,	O
Sheets	B-Language
,	O
and	O
Slides	B-Application
files	O
on	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Drive	O
website	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
also	O
offers	O
an	O
extension	O
for	O
the	B-Application
Google	B-Application
Chrome	B-Application
web	I-Application
browser	I-Application
called	O
Office	O
editing	O
for	O
Docs	B-Application
,	O
Sheets	B-Language
and	O
Slides	B-Application
that	O
enables	O
users	O
to	O
view	O
and	O
edit	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Office	I-Application
documents	O
on	O
Google	B-Application
Chrome	I-Application
,	O
via	O
Docs	B-Application
,	O
Sheets	B-Language
and	O
Slides	B-Application
apps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
extension	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
opening	O
Office	O
files	O
stored	O
on	O
the	O
computer	O
using	O
Chrome	B-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
for	O
opening	O
Office	O
files	O
encountered	O
on	O
the	O
web	B-Application
(	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
email	O
attachments	O
,	O
web	B-Application
search	O
results	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
extension	O
is	O
installed	O
on	O
ChromeOS	B-Operating_System
by	O
default	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
review	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
after	O
its	O
launch	O
in	O
April	O
2012	O
,	O
Dan	O
Grabham	O
of	O
TechRadar	O
wrote	O
that	O
the	O
integration	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
Docs	I-Application
into	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
was	O
"	O
a	O
bit	O
confusing	O
"	O
,	O
mainly	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
differences	O
in	O
the	O
user	B-Application
interfaces	I-Application
between	O
the	O
two	O
,	O
where	O
Drive	O
offers	O
a	O
"	O
My	O
Drive	O
"	O
section	O
with	O
a	O
specific	O
"	O
Shared	O
with	O
me	O
"	O
view	O
for	O
shared	O
documents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
We	O
think	O
the	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
needs	O
a	O
lot	O
more	O
work	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
's	O
like	O
a	O
retread	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
Docs	I-Application
at	O
the	O
moment	O
and	O
Google	B-Application
surely	O
needs	O
to	O
do	O
work	O
here	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
considered	O
uploading	O
files	O
"	O
fairly	O
easy	O
"	O
,	O
but	O
noted	O
that	O
folder	O
upload	O
was	O
only	O
supported	O
through	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Chrome	B-Application
web	I-Application
browser	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
lack	O
of	O
native	O
editing	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Office	I-Application
documents	O
was	O
"	O
annoying	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Regarding	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
's	O
computer	O
apps	O
,	O
he	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
option	O
in	O
Settings	O
to	O
synchronize	O
only	O
specific	O
folders	O
was	O
"	O
powerful	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
wrote	O
that	O
Drive	O
was	O
"	O
a	O
great	O
addition	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
armory	O
of	O
apps	O
and	O
everything	O
does	O
work	O
seamlessly	O
"	O
,	O
while	O
again	O
criticizing	O
the	O
interface	O
for	O
being	O
"	O
confusing	O
"	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
file	O
view	O
was	O
"	O
not	O
quite	O
intuitive	O
enough	O
"	O
without	O
file	O
icons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Grabham	O
also	O
reviewed	O
the	O
mobile	B-Application
Android	I-Application
app	O
,	O
writing	O
that	O
"	O
it	O
's	O
a	O
pretty	O
simple	O
app	O
that	O
enables	O
you	O
to	O
access	O
your	O
files	O
on	O
the	O
move	O
and	O
save	O
some	O
for	O
offline	O
access	O
should	O
you	O
wish	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
praised	O
Google	B-Application
Docs	I-Application
creation	O
and	O
photo	O
uploading	O
for	O
being	O
"	O
easy	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
he	O
also	O
criticized	O
the	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
for	O
being	O
confusing	O
to	O
navigate	O
,	O
and	O
wrote	O
that	O
"	O
Offline	O
editing	O
is	O
n't	O
simple	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Android	B-Application
version	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
has	O
been	O
criticized	O
for	O
requiring	O
users	O
to	O
individually	O
toggle	O
each	O
file	O
for	O
use	O
offline	O
instead	O
of	O
allowing	O
entire	O
folders	O
to	O
be	O
stored	O
offline	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Immediately	O
after	O
its	O
announcement	O
in	O
April	O
2012	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
faced	O
criticism	O
over	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
privacy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
particular	O
,	O
privacy	O
advocates	O
have	O
noted	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
has	O
one	O
unified	O
set	O
of	O
Terms	O
of	O
Service	O
and	O
Privacy	O
Policy	O
agreements	O
for	O
all	O
its	O
products	O
and	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
comparison	O
of	O
Terms	O
of	O
Service	O
agreements	O
between	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
and	O
competing	O
cloud	B-Application
storage	I-Application
services	I-Application
Dropbox	B-Application
and	O
OneDrive	B-Application
,	O
he	O
cited	O
a	O
paragraph	O
stating	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
has	O
broad	O
rights	O
to	O
reproduce	O
,	O
use	O
,	O
and	O
create	O
derivative	O
works	O
from	O
content	O
stored	O
on	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
,	O
via	O
a	O
license	O
from	O
its	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
user	O
retains	O
intellectual	O
property	O
rights	O
,	O
the	O
user	O
licenses	O
Google	B-Application
to	O
extract	O
and	O
parse	O
uploaded	O
content	O
to	O
customize	O
the	O
advertising	O
and	O
other	O
services	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
provides	O
to	O
the	O
user	O
and	O
to	O
promote	O
the	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Summarized	O
,	O
he	O
wrote	O
that	O
"	O
According	O
to	O
its	O
terms	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
does	O
not	O
own	O
user-uploaded	O
files	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
,	O
but	O
the	O
company	O
can	O
do	O
whatever	O
it	O
likes	O
with	O
them	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
highly	O
critical	O
editorial	O
of	O
the	O
service	O
,	O
Ed	O
Bott	O
of	O
ZDNet	O
wrote	O
that	O
language	O
in	O
the	O
agreements	O
contained	O
"	O
exact	O
same	O
words	O
"	O
as	O
Dropbox	B-Application
used	O
in	O
a	O
July	O
2011	O
Privacy	O
Policy	O
update	O
that	O
sparked	O
criticism	O
and	O
forced	O
Dropbox	B-Application
to	O
update	O
its	O
policy	O
once	O
again	O
with	O
clarifying	O
language	O
,	O
adding	O
that	O
"	O
It	O
's	O
a	O
perfect	O
example	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
inability	O
to	O
pay	O
even	O
the	O
slightest	O
bit	O
of	O
attention	O
to	O
anything	O
that	O
happens	O
outside	O
the	O
Googleplex	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Matt	O
Peckham	O
of	O
Time	O
criticized	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
unique	O
service	O
agreements	O
for	O
Drive	O
,	O
writing	O
that	O
"	O
If	O
any	O
Google	B-Application
service	O
warrants	O
privacy	O
firewalling	O
,	O
it	O
's	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
n't	O
YouTube	O
or	O
Calendar	O
or	O
even	O
Gmail	B-Application
—	O
—	O
the	O
potential	O
for	O
someone	O
's	O
most	O
sensitive	O
data	O
to	O
be	O
snooped	O
,	O
whether	O
to	O
glean	O
info	O
for	O
marketing	O
or	O
otherwise	O
,	O
is	O
too	O
high	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
 [ ... ] 	O
Google	B-Application
ought	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
privacy	O
exception	O
that	O
“	O
narrows	O
the	O
scope	O
”	O
of	O
its	O
service	O
terms	O
for	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
,	O
one	O
that	O
minimally	O
states	O
the	O
company	O
will	O
never	O
circulate	O
the	O
information	O
generated	O
from	O
searching	O
your	O
G-Drive	O
data	O
in	O
any	O
way.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
contrast	O
,	O
a	O
report	O
by	O
Nilay	O
Patel	O
of	O
The	O
Verge	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
all	O
web	B-Application
services	O
should	O
be	O
subject	O
to	O
the	O
harsh	O
scrutiny	O
of	O
their	O
privacy	O
policies	O
—	O
but	O
a	O
close	O
and	O
careful	O
reading	O
reveals	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
terms	O
are	O
pretty	O
much	O
the	O
same	O
as	O
anyone	O
else	O
's	O
,	O
and	O
slightly	O
better	O
in	O
some	O
cases	O
"	O
,	O
pointing	O
to	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
"	O
could	O
n't	O
move	O
files	O
around	O
on	O
its	O
servers	O
,	O
cache	O
your	O
data	O
,	O
or	O
make	O
image	O
thumbnails	O
"	O
without	O
proper	O
rights	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
12	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
had	O
120	O
million	O
active	O
users	O
,	O
a	O
figure	O
that	O
the	O
company	O
was	O
releasing	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
25	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
at	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
I/O	O
developer	O
conference	O
,	O
Sundar	O
Pichai	O
announced	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
now	O
had	O
190	O
million	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
being	O
used	O
by	O
58%	O
of	O
the	O
Fortune	O
500	O
companies	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
by	O
72	O
of	O
the	O
top	O
universities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
1	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
at	O
its	O
Atmosphere	O
Live	O
event	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
had	O
240	O
million	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Next	O
Web	B-Application
noted	O
that	O
this	O
meant	O
an	O
increase	O
of	O
50	O
million	O
users	O
in	O
just	O
one	O
quarter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
September	O
21	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
had	O
over	O
one	O
million	O
organizational	O
paying	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2017	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
had	O
800million	O
active	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2017	O
,	O
a	O
Google	B-Application
executive	O
stated	O
at	O
a	O
company	O
event	O
that	O
there	O
were	O
over	O
two	O
trillion	O
files	O
stored	O
on	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
Google	B-Application
has	O
a	O
99.9	O
%	O
uptime	O
guarantee	O
for	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
for	O
Google	B-Application
Workspace	I-Application
customers	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
has	O
suffered	O
downtimes	O
for	O
both	O
consumers	O
and	O
business	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
significant	O
downtimes	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
App	O
Status	O
Dashboard	O
gets	O
updated	O
with	O
the	O
current	O
status	O
of	O
each	O
service	O
Google	B-Application
offers	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
details	O
on	O
restoration	O
progress	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
January	O
2016	O
outage	O
was	O
resolved	O
,	O
a	O
Google	B-Application
spokesperson	O
told	O
The	O
Next	O
Web	B-Application
:	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
Google	B-Application
,	O
we	O
recognize	O
that	O
failures	O
are	O
statistically	O
inevitable	O
,	O
and	O
we	O
strive	O
to	O
insulate	O
our	O
users	O
from	O
the	O
effects	O
of	O
failures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Our	O
engineers	O
are	O
conducting	O
a	O
post-mortem	O
investigation	O
to	O
determine	O
how	O
to	O
make	O
our	O
services	O
more	O
resilient	O
to	O
unplanned	O
network	O
failures	O
,	O
and	O
we	O
will	O
do	O
our	O
utmost	O
to	O
continue	O
to	O
make	O
Google	B-Application
service	O
outages	O
notable	O
for	O
their	O
rarity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
outage	O
that	O
affected	O
all	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
services	O
for	O
five	O
minutes	O
in	O
August	O
2013	O
,	O
CNET	O
reported	O
that	O
global	O
Internet	O
traffic	O
dropped	O
40%	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
allows	O
users	O
to	O
share	O
drive	O
contents	O
with	O
other	O
Google	B-Application
users	O
without	O
requiring	O
any	O
authorization	O
from	O
the	O
recipient	O
of	O
a	O
sharing	O
invitation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
is	O
reported	O
to	O
be	O
working	O
on	O
a	O
fix	O
.	O
</s>
