Google products sit on a huge amount of resources. This is the reason why they are so reliable.
While Google and its parent Alphabet are doing whatever they can to ensure that the products can be used by as many people as possible, a lot of people are utilizing the fact that Google products are reliable, by uploading malicious things to it. And this is big problem on the web, where file sharing has become extremely common.
With cloud storage, users of Google Drive can upload any file, and share the link to that file to anyone.
It's so convenient, and Google thinks that some restrictions are needed.
Spam files are already problem in Google Drive, and this is why Google has a filtering mechanism to restrict files it thinks are suspicious.
When files are flagged, they can no longer be shared and no one can see them anymore.
According to Google, the process is automatic, and this mechanism has saved a lot of people from spam.
It also helped prevent the spread of malicious files.
The thing is, sometimes, Google's automation can inadvertently flag and restrict innocent files.
From time to time, Google's filtering mechanism can mark normal files as spam, preventing them from being shared or viewed.
To prevent the inconvenience, Google has decided to inform people if their files violate the guidelines.
If Google thinks that some of users' Drive files are suspicious, the uploaders will receive an email telling them that the files have been restricted.
If this is mistake, users have the ability to have Google review the files.
From that point, users can expect the files to be personally reviewed by human moderators.
It's worth noting that when a file on Google Drive is restricted, Google won't immediately delete it.
First, Google will continue giving the creator or the owner of the file to access the file and work with it. Second, Google will prevent the file from being shared with others, and also make existing links for the file to stop working.
Google is pushing to roll this feature out rapidly to all users.
The company started rolling out the feature on December 14th, with plans to have a full rollout within a few weeks.
"This will help ensure owners of Google Drive items are fully informed about the status of their content, while also helping to ensure that users are protected from abusive content," said Google.
Google has been working hard to reduce the amount of spam users receive from those who use Google Drive, which has exceedingly become a problem in the more recent years.
While Google has ways to filter the files and flag them when it's needed, Google finally realizes that it's also equally important to let the creators or the owners of the files know what’s up.
It should be noted that the update is only meant for all Google Workspace customers, as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers.