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Google Unofficially Announces GDrive By Leaked Code

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the more-than-speculation dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Google has unofficially announced the GDrive by source code. In an in-direct way, Google has publicly advertised the new, much-anticipated online storage drive called the GDrive. If you take a look at the source code of some javascript within the Google Pack, you will clearly see the GDrive referenced. The code categorizes the GDrive as an 'Online file backup and storage' device. It also provides the following descriptions; 'GDrive provides reliable storage for all of your files, including photos, music and documents' and 'GDrive allows you to access your files from anywhere, anytime, and from any device — be it from your desktop, web browser or cellular phone.'"

12 of 342 comments (clear)

  1. Like xdrive and idrive before it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Finally, somewhere to back up all of my important porn!

    1. Re:Like xdrive and idrive before it by relguj9 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Exactly. I'll be curious to see the google analytic stats on what these drives are actually used for. Taking bets on the percentage that is porn, my guess is 80%.

      Anyone else at least on notice that Google is looking to know not only all of the sites we visit with google analytics and chrome, all of the videos we watch on google video and correlate this with our gmail/video logins, but also get statistics on data that we store.

      Not that they are necessarily going to do anything nefarious with it. But it's a lot of data that, if someone had access to and was inclined to mine, could yield an unnerving amount of information about an individual who heavily uses Google products.

      I think I'm gonna change the drop box on my browser to Yahoo! for a while. Need to spread the love.

    2. Re:Like xdrive and idrive before it by RCourtney · · Score: 5, Funny

      Pfft, that was the last codeword, it's now referred to as GSpot (BETA).

      There, fixed that for ya. And don't feel bad if you can't find it - submitter had to dig deep in the code to even know it existed, too.

    3. Re:Like xdrive and idrive before it by Winckle · · Score: 5, Funny

      Eric Schimdt likes porn just like every other guy.

      He just happens to archive it in the petabytes instead of gigabytes.

    4. Re:Like xdrive and idrive before it by aliquis · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'd only use it for backup, why waste limited backup space on porn? Porn is already well backed up by everyone else.

  2. making up new words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "in-direct"?

    that word is im-possible.

    hold on, i have to tie my shoe-lace, be-cause i keep tripping over all the hy-phens.

  3. Re:Misplaced priorities? by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Informative

    If you pay for Gmail ("Google Apps for business") it isn't beta, and it has an SLA and whatnot. Gmail's interpretation of "beta" seems roughly the same as all the other free webmail services' interpretation of their default release states, so it isn't as though Google is really behind in that area. If "beta" is just a scary word, ignore it. If you are waiting to get enterprise SLAs for no money, forget it.

  4. Re:what happens if google folds by Chyeld · · Score: 5, Insightful

    agreed, but this will most likely be connected to some *cough cloud* form on online computing. will it have backup abilities ?

    No, at no time whatsoever will you ever have access to the files you store on gdrive. In fact, gdrive is really just a counter attached to /dev/null

    Will it have backup abilities? WTF? You either uploaded a file to it, thus implying you had access to it, enabling you to back it up. Or you can download the file from it, thus implying you have access to it, enabling you to back it up.

  5. Enough with the evil Google routine by Enderandrew · · Score: 5, Informative

    How did you get modded informative?

    When Bush was talking about wanting search data for all US citizens, Microsoft, Yahoo and AOL handed it over without even really being asked. Google refused, and said they would not hand over any search data unless they were forced to do so by a court of law. Google has also since decided to anonymize their logs sooner and increase their privacy policies.

    The only time Google has handed data over to a government agency was one case in Brazil, when they were forced to do so by a court, and even then, they didn't do it immediately when they were first ordered to do so. And that case was when Google had evidence on a child porn ring who distributed child porn via Orkut.

    So please, explain to me how can you justify statements with no basis on fact?

    --
    http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
  6. Re:Sounds Good. by osu-neko · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Do you have any reason to suggest that Google is handing over data to the RIAA when Google has historically fought to protect the privacy of its users?

    I have no reason to suspect Google would not do precisely that, if ordered to by the courts (after the inevitable, expensive appeals are finally exhausted). Much as I like cyberpunk sci-fi, I don't see Google declaring itself an extraterritorial sovereign entity no longer subject to national laws any time soon...

    --
    "Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies."
  7. Re:Yeah, Right. by rossifer · · Score: 5, Informative

    btw, anyone using google can be tapped by the US (or any local) gov. google replicates data all over the world and so any local DC can be 'tapped' by the gov in that region and google will be happy to roll over. giving data to google is not something you do when you need privacy, we should know THAT much by now. google has already tipped their hand more times than needed to see the true 'rollover to the gov' colors they have.

    I work for Google. In a project closely related to "GDrive". And I know for an absolute fact that you, sir, are full of shit. Google is the one company that has stood up to our government's "requests for information" and said, "Show me the subpoena." Hell, that's one of the big reasons I work at Google. As for your privacy, the only entities that can see the actual content of your files are 1) you, 2) the ads analysis program, 2) Google developers/system maintenance staff who sign a blood oath that they will not violate user trust, and 3) government agencies that provide a lawful warrant or subpoena for the data. The moment that list fails to be complete, a significant fraction of all Google employees will leave in disgust.

  8. Re:Misplaced priorities? by rriven · · Score: 5, Informative

    They only offer at most 95% per month, MINUS pre-scheduled downtimes, and non-scheduled downtimes that are "exempt". Honestly, 90% uptime per month real. The key is that these numbers are not real, because of the possible exemptions and everything, so a real SLA is unknown.

    You could not be more wrong:

    Enterprise-class service â" Google Apps includes a 99.9% uptime SLA.* Phone support is available for critical issues.

    *The 99.9% uptime SLA for Google Apps is offered to organizations using Google Apps Premier Edition, as described in the Google Apps Premier Edition Terms of Service

    http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/business/messaging.html

    Sure it is only 3 nines but that is way better than the 90% you said

    --
    Dan