Google Drive Users Report Data Disappearance Ahead of December 1 Deadline

As the December 1 deadline for Google’s policy change approaches, some users are already grappling with unexpected data losses. While the official announcement focused on the deletion of data from inactive accounts starting December 1, reports are surfacing of Google Drive users experiencing missing data even before the stipulated date.

Complaints on the official support forum reveal that users are finding their Google Drive accounts reset to a status from May 2023. Desktop Drive folders are reportedly missing six months of files, and the folder structure reflects a state from May.

One user expressed, “My Google Drive files suddenly disappeared. The Drive literally went back to the condition in May 2023. Data from May until today disappeared, and the folder structure went back to the status in May.” Another user highlighted a similar issue, stating, “We are having the exact same issues. This user works primarily from G Drive, and it seems like Google was not uploading their files to the cloud.”

In response to these concerns, a user identified as Saitej, purportedly a Google employee and member of the Google Drive team, acknowledged the problem. “We’re investigating reports of an issue impacting a limited subset of Drive for desktop users and will follow up with more updates,” Saitej stated. Users were advised against disconnecting affected accounts or deleting app data folders within Google Drive for desktop.

One user on the support forum suggested that the problem might be related to the desktop Google Drive client not uploading data to the cloud, leading to a local profile reset for an unknown reason. The user cautioned against making any changes until an official statement from Google support is provided.

As users await resolution and clarification from Google, the incident raises concerns about the potential ramifications of the upcoming policy change and its impact on user data security.