Google announces block feature will be integrated into Google Drive to neutralize potential harassment

Google announces block feature will be integrated into Google Drive to neutralize potential harassment
Google announces block feature will be integrated into Google Drive to neutralize potential harassment

According to the latest news, Google Drive is adding the ability for users to block other accounts from sharing files with them in order to prevent potential harassment and spam. Google will roll out this feature in Google Drive in the next two weeks. Google posted about this in its blog. If you are interested to read the whole story from Google’s blog itself, then click here.

Once you block some users, the update will also stop accounts from accessing any files you’ve shared with them in the past. It will also remove past files sent by the users from your drive.

Google’s announcement post says, “Drive’s sharing capabilities fuel productivity and collaboration, but bad actors can abuse tools that are meant to facilitate helpful sharing. That’s why we are creating a way to block other users.”

It is to be noted that once some account is blocked in Google Drive, those accounts won’t be able to interact through other Google services like Hangouts or Chat. Google announced this feature back in May. It eventually came after a report from Buzzfeed News highlighted an instance where a user was unable to remove a shared folder from an abusive ex-partner from their Drive. Since their Google Drive did not have any innocuous photographs, Drive’s existing “report as abuse” feature was not appropriate and was not working.

Google wrote in its support page that if some user wants to block another user then the option to block will appear right away when you right-click a file they have shared with you in Drive. Google also said that there will also be an option to unblock users later if you change your mind. Since sharing features can get abused, Google’s move has been welcomed warmly by the tech circles.

Michael Turner
Michael is the Senior Editor at TheNewsPocket. He is an environmental activist with broad, deep experience in print and online writing, publication and site management, news coverage, and editorial team management.