“I just want to note that, contrary to Ms. Google’s legal director for copyright Fred Von Lohman did not refute this claim but mentioned that Google drive already uses hash matching to detect infringing material. She then added that hash filtering could make a huge difference here. Here, Google was asked about its anti-piracy policies.ĭuring the discussion, Fox Entertainment Group’s Elizabeth Valentina pointed out that several prominent piracy platforms use Google as a video host, as we previously highlighted as well. Luckily, we were able to find some more information in a transcript from a Copyright Office Roundtable that took place in San Francisco last year. “We don’t comment on the details of our anti-abuse mechanisms on Drive,” a Google spokesperson replied. Unfortunately, the company wasn’t very forthcoming. So what’s going on here? We contacted Google directly to find out more about the process involved, and how files are flagged as copyright-infringing. Google Drive didn’t specify what the violation was but instead linked to information about the DMCA takedown procedure as additional information. Through a follow-up test, we were able to replicate the result. Instead of a public link, Google drive warned that sharing the file in question could violate its terms of service. This week we received a tip from a reader who was unable to share a link to a screener copy of a Hollywood blockbuster. This usually doesn’t cause any problems but when they’re shared in public, alarm bells may start to go off. Whether it’s wise or not, some people even use Drive to store pirated files. The cloud hosting service allows users to store all content imaginable, videos included. There a thousands of options for people who want to store files online and Google Drive is one of them.