Google Drive loses users’ data

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Users of Google Drive are reporting massive data loss, an issue acknowledged by volunteers who staff the Google support forums.

The cause of the issue is said to be the desktop Google Drive client, versions 84.0.0.0 through 84.0.4.0. Users claim their data has reverted back to a state from April-May this year.

According to posts on the Google forums, attempts by users at recovery have failed. Some posts suggest the issue is related to Google closing some accounts without warning, a separate issue, although a degree of supposition by users is likely.

There has been no official response from Google.

DownDetector.com reports 60% of its reports concern issues about file access, with 34% reporting server connection problems.

One user has posted a possible way to recover lost data, but this is not canonical and appears only on the company’s user-driven forums. Following the listed steps is not endorsed by Google or its employees, but does contain implicit advice: “If you want to carry on using Google Drive (!!!), re-enable the update services […].”

The Verge reported: “A Google Drive team member named Saitej posted a warning telling users not to click “disconnect account” within the Google Drive for desktop. They also warned against deleting or moving the app data folder […]”.

Google’s storage, like other cloud providers’, is not exempt from natural disasters, plumbing failures and administrator error. The mindset that considers cloud services, including storage, as ‘safe’ is one that needs to change, whether stored data is mission-critical or otherwise. Users of cloud services are responsible for their own data, and trusting to others is an abdication of responsibility.

We will update this page as news develops.