Google Docs is one of the few online applications that Im deeply dependent on for my everyday work.
But like every other piece of useful technology, Google Docs can cause unwanted security and privacy problems.
The convenience of Google Docs often leads users to let their guard down and ignore security issues.
In this piece Ill be discussing ways to protect your Google Docs against unauthorized access.
It’s free, every week, in your inbox.
I suppose you already know that when youre not paying, youre the product.
Neither is this a rant about Google sharing your data with government agencies.
That too is an issue for a separate post on digital rights and privacy regulation.
And finally, Im not going to discuss security incidents and data breaches at Googles data centers.
Those are genuine concerns, but in my experience, Google has some of the strongest security practices.
Most security incidents regarding Google Docs happen because of user negligence and misusing Googles own security features.
If you want to evade corporate or government snooping and surveillance, readour post on encrypting your entire life.
If youre interested in keeping your Google Docs secure, read on.
Note: All the tips in this post also apply to Google Sheets and Slides.
Google supports two sharing modes: link sharing and individual sharing.
Individual sharing requires you to explicitly give access to each user who should have access to the document.
As weve previously seen in these pages,Google Docs link sharing is a privacy disaster.
The owner will then be able to open your Google Doc.
Bad use of Google Docs link sharing is a perfect example of security through obscurity gone wrong.
Fortunately, Google doesnt require you to have Gmail or G Suite to have a Google Account.
Anyone cancreate onewith their existing personal or corporate email in a few easy steps.
So why does Google Docs have link sharing?
I personally find very few cases where I want to turn on link sharing.
Bottom line: Google Docs link sharing is very insecure!
Use it sparingly, if ever.
you’re free to have different groups for different tasks and projects.
If one person is off the team, remove them from the Google Group.
This will immediately revoke their access from all Google Docs shared with that group.
Also, confirm your Groups are not public, unless you explicitly intend them to be so.
My personal recommendation is to set your Groups visibility to members only and your join policy on invite-only.
This can set the stage for accidental (or intentional) security mishaps.
The editors might end up sharing the document with people that should not have access to it.
Fortunately, you’ve got the option to turn it off.
you could find it in the advanced sharing parameters.
While it cant prevent viewers from stealing your documents, it will certainly make it harder for them.
Choosing a strong passwordfor your Google Account is a good place to start to secure your Google Docs.
Eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle attacks might enable hackers to steal your password and gain access to your documents.
A secure Google Account is an inseparable part of protecting your Google Docs.
Without it, none of the other steps we mentioned can protect your confidential documents from unauthorized access.
