If you've ever shared a Google Drive file using the "public" link (AKA the "Anyone on the internet with this link can view" option seen below), you may find that some of your links no longer work.
Due to security concerns from instances where unrelated anonymous people obtained access to files by guessing the shared public link, Google has updated its links by adding a resource key to all shared links, making all links more secure. If the people you’ve shared the link with opened the document before September 13, 2021 (the date the change took effect), the link will still work for them.
Chances are, you've probably made many of your files shareable with anyone on the internet via a link. Even though resource keys will make the links more secure, it's best practice to routinely go through those files and restrict permissions. Unfortunately, while you can search your Drive files for externally shared files, you cannot search them for who you gave a public link.
This is where our partner, General Audit Tool (GAT), comes in. GAT is an application that provides audit and security tools for Google Workspace users. GAT allows you to easily review and change the permissions of your documents at any time using their security features.
At LogicWing, we use GAT to view the permissions of all our Google Drive files and see who was the last person to make a change to a document. If we don’t want someone to have access to a document anymore or want to change access permissions for the whole document, then we can do that right through the GAT website.
You can learn more about GAT and our other services by scheduling a free consultation call with us.
We also sell Google Workspace licenses, offer consulting to help you transform your workplace, and can help you manage the existing Google Workspace accounts you have with our Managed Services.