Users of Google’s Drive cloud storage platform have raised alarms over a significant issue causing the loss of data, including documents, photos, and videos, spanning several months. The problem appears to be confined to those accessing Google Drive through desktop platforms in versions 84.0.0.0 through 84.0.4.0.
Google has acknowledged the issue and launched an investigation to address the problem, creating a community support thread for affected users. The glitch was first brought to light by a user who lost all data on Drive dating back to May 2023, with efforts from Google’s support team proving unsuccessful in data recovery.
Currently, 192 users have indicated similar problems by clicking the “I have the same question” button on the support thread, and IT support has, in many instances, been unable to retrieve the lost data. Google has requested diagnostic data from affected drives as part of its investigative efforts. Users have been cautioned against disconnecting their accounts or altering the app’s data folder, and Google strongly advises creating separate backups as a precautionary measure.
Despite acknowledging the issue, Google has not provided a specific timeline for a fix. Notably, the bug has also impacted the desktop version’s feature that creates a local copy of a user’s cloud storage, raising concerns that the lost data may be irrecoverable.
This incident underscores the importance of maintaining multiple backup sources, particularly for sensitive data, and sheds light on the vulnerabilities associated with widely used cloud storage services across the globe.
