Google Drive and YouTube are getting more secure, but there’s a downside

The new security change will not affect unlisted videos uploaded to YouTube after 2017.

What you need to know

• Google has announced new changes to make its YouTube and Drive services more secure.
• As part of the changes, all Unlisted videos uploaded to YouTube before 2017 will be made private starting on July 23.
• Google will also change the links used for some Drive files.

Google is rolling out a security update that could make several public links to files stored on its YouTube and Drive platforms to stop working. As reported by The Verge, the update will affect videos that are marked as “Unlisted” on YouTube.

Unlisted videos on YouTube can be viewed and shared online by anyone who has a link to the video. However, unlike public videos, Unlisted videos do not appear in search results or other tabs. Google rolled out a security update in 2017 to make it harder for people to discover links to Unlisted videos.

As part of Google’s latest changes, all Unlisted videos uploaded to YouTube before 2017 will automatically be made Private starting on July 23. If you are a YouTube creator and do not want your videos to be affected by the change, you can opt-out of the security update by filling out this form by July 23.

A similar security update will also affect some files stored on Drive, one of Google’s best Android apps. Google says it will be adding a resource key to sharing links to make them more secure. Once the update has been applied, any user who hasn’t viewed the file before will be required to use a URL with the resource key to gain access.

Those who have already viewed the file before or have been granted direct access can continue to access it even without the resource key. Admins will have to choose how the security update is applied for their organization before July 23. Users with personal accounts will receive a notification from Google Drive informing them of their impacted files starting July 26. They’ll be able to choose how the update is applied to their files by September 13.