Soon i public links related to an untold number of items stored on Google Drive and YouTube will stop working. For greater security, in fact, Google has decided to change the way it manages the sharing of links on both services. The result is that if the links of the videos "Not in the list" on YouTube and items on the Drive belong to an unused or inactive account, they could disappear forever.
Google's security update will make old YouTube videos uploaded as "unlisted" private
Old "Unlisted" YouTube videos and files shared on Google Drive are about to become private and unreachable from the outside, unless the owner user changes the thing. This is because shared links are now part of a newer system that, according to Google, increases security. On YouTube, for example, the new links are apparently harder to guess and cannot be accessed without explicitly granting access. The most recent links also have the effect of “tying” multiple activities to specific accounts and requiring viewers to log in to track access.
On YouTube, the changes will affect all public videos, but marked as "Not listed". As described in a blog post and five-minute video, all unlisted videos uploaded before 2017 they will become "Private" from 23 July. Private videos can also now be shared with up to 50 people, who will need a Google account to view them.
People who prefer to continue sharing their old “Unlisted” videos with public links can fill in this form within the next month to request that their own channel remain unchanged. The only other option is to reload those videos and leave them marked as “Unlisted”.
What will happen to Google Drive
Also Google Drive it is undergoing the same change. Now, clicking on a link to access files stored in the cloud will include a key that determines who has access or not. Anyone who has already accessed a file (presumably with a Google account login) will continue to access it and, if you have "direct access", it will continue to work.
If not, you will need to make a request to access the file or folder. If you have a personal Google / Gmail account and are using Drive, you will receive an email after July 26 notifying you of any files affected by this change. In case your account includes links that will be interested, you can disable the "security update" as long as you do it before September 13, 2021.
For accounts Google workspace managed by the employer, school or other organization, it is a little more complicated. The IT administrator / department can choose to opt out entirely, apply the update to everyone without the option of opting out, or apply the update and allow individual users to remove it from specific files.
Source The Verge Tagsgoogle drive video youtube Links to YouTube “unlisted” videos will become unreachable
