Extract of the conditions of service of Google (all its services, including Google Drive)


Google Drive terms of use
who is the owner of the files?








 "Drive" is the last thing Google services in storage in the cloud. Our how it works.



If you have a GMail account the process for Google Drive is much easier, because in some cases it asks you to validate the address on this site to receive the approval of Google and you can download an application.


Works on computers desktop, notebooks, netbooks, tablets, smartphones with Windows, Android and to wait for now for users of iOS of style….


Once installed this app on our device, choose the files that you want to send "to the cloud" (documents, photos, music, videos, etc) which are reclassified by Google to go through a process of unification of extensions. (if it is MP3 and not WMA for example makes as the first).



Files elected then they climb to the cloud in a process that when we tried it (half an hour after that cut the tape) did not have any problem so "run" the process quickly.


The payment service

Google gets at the root of your files, only stores with a space of 5 GB in free mode without option to grow and with plans for people who by 25 gigas charge approximately $1,500 pesos per month, which is cheaper than a pendrive (per month) or even if yours is "much support in the cloud" will have to think in 100 gigabytes for $2,500 pesos a month and continues thus adding.


Google Drive terms of use
To get an idea, the 5 gigas we serve to store a DVD film, 300 songs in MP3, thousands of pictures and videos.

Recommended as ideal solution to support email accounts from Outlook and its since .pst that when we support on our PC and it is an important account, always be must choose to have an external backup.

Incidentally, it is important to tell them that Google Drive also offers "plans" for companies with more space and other prices by the way.

The cloud has come to mass, but we must be cautious and not forget that he isn't everything or not synonymous of precision or certainty in his service.

You can also one day leaving the Sun, leave the clear sky and our cloud is not, therefore it is always valid to have a backup on physical media such as hard disk, DVD, CD, pendrive and even lend a hand to the memory of our camera in case you need it.





The issue of ownership of the files

Both Drive and Dropbox, iCloud (Apple) and the new SkyDrive of Microsoft give the user control of documents. Although, according TheVerge, who has compared the terms of use of the four services, Google reserves the possibility of "use, store, reproduce, modify, create derived products (...), communicate, publish and distribute" the content uploaded to its services to "promote them or develop new features". We must remember in this connection that, last March 1, Google unified the terms of use of their services, he claimed, to make "the user experience more coherent".

Google Drive terms of use
New Drive users have already highlighted the gap that exists between the conditions of service of Dropbox, Microsoft SkyDrive and Google and its services, including Google Drive. Something definitely to take into account if we are to use one of these storage services in the cloud to host sensitive data:

Extract of the Dropbox service conditions

By using our services, you provide the information, files, and folders that sends to Dropbox (altogether, "Belongings"). You will retain full ownership of your belongings. Not we attach the property of none of them. These conditions do not grant us any rights on their belongings or any intellectual property, with the exception of the limited rights that are necessary to administer the services, as explained below.




Extract of the conditions of service of Microsoft (including SkyDrive)

Your content: With the exception of material that we licenciamos for you, does not claim any ownership of the content you give to the service. Your content remains your content. In addition we do not control, verify or approve the content your or other people provide the service.


Extract of the conditions of service of Google (all its services, including Google Drive)

To upload content or send it via other means to our services, you grant to Google (and his colleagues) a worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works (e.g., resulting from the translation, adaptation or other changes that we make to ensure that your content is better suited to our services), communicate, publish, execute or publicly display and distribute said content. Google will use the rights conferred this license only in order to provide, promote and enhance services and develop new services. This license will remain in effect even when you stop using our services (for example, in the case of a file of company that you've added to Google Maps).




Big difference, right?. However, recently a communications agency representing Google stated the following in this regard:

As we have clearly stated in our terms of use, Google claims no ownership or control over the content that the user stores on Google Drive. We advise you to read our terms of use in their entirety. They specify that users who choose to share your files with others, have previously given us permission to show these files to others and thanks to that permission we can give technical assistance (accommodation, storage, translation, etc.) and the format according to the different screens of devices where they are to show these files. To be clear, Google will not use data users beyond the scope that the user specify and control. For example, spreadsheet that a user has been able to create in no time will be shared publicly unless the user has indicated so.



In general, Google's policy tends to get the right to use the content we lift to any of its services to take advantage of it elsewhere, so have personal content that we consider "sensitive" in Google Drive may not be highly recommended. While Google's service conditions they would indicate some increased risk in terms of safety and use of our content policies of Dropbox, this either means that letter free to lift what we have is we want this another service. Take into account that keep our information "in the cloud" will represent a small potential for not controllable risk. In fact, in the middle of last year, there was a problem with the handling of passwords in Dropbox that caused that anyone can access our accounts without entering the key, just knowing our Dropbox email. Although the problem was for a short period of time, is a perfect example of the problems of security that could acarrerar the use of such services.Google Drive terms of use



As with everything in life, a little bit of common sense will always be welcome to use these services whose benefits tend to exceed, to a large extent, these potential risks.