Unauthorised Access? Google’s AI Allegedly Scans Drive Documents (Sans Permission)!

Google lands in hot water once again…this time for unauthorised file access.

Allegations of Unauthorised Access

Kevin Bankston, a Senior Advisor on AI Governance, has raised concerns that Google’s Gemini AI might be scanning private Google Drive documents without explicit user permission. Bankston, also a privacy activist and Facebook Privacy Policy Director, detailed his experience on X.com, suggesting that this could be a glitch affecting specific users. Google’s response counters these claims, stating that their AI features are designed to maintain user control and require proactive enablement to function within Google Workspace.

Google’s Rebuttal and User Experiences

Google asserts that their AI functions preserve privacy and do not store content without permission. Despite this, Bankston discovered that the settings to control Gemini AI were not easily accessible and were already disabled for Gmail, Drive, and Docs. This discrepancy suggests a possible malfunction or miscommunication within the system. Bankston also noted that the settings toggle was in a different location than where Gemini’s bot directed him, complicating user control over the feature.

Potential Causes and Google’s Clarification

Bankston’s issue appears confined to Google Drive and occurs after using the Gemini button on a document, which then affects all similar future files. He theorises this might be due to enabling Google Workspace Labs in 2023. Google clarified that Workspace data is protected and not used for AI training. They suggested that Bankston’s problem might stem from using Gemini via Drive’s side panel, which could be resolved by closing the panel.

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*An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.