Google notified many U-M Google users on Monday, July 26, about an update that will make file sharing even more secure. ITS is aware of the communication and is following up with the university community about the update.
On September 13, 2021, Google will apply an update to Google Drive that will change the links used to share some non-Google files (e.g., Word, Excel, PDF) created before November 2017. Built-in Google file types such as Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms will not be impacted.
Access to the impacted files won’t change for people who have already viewed them or have direct access, but the update may cause owners of affected files to receive some new file access requests. Google has provided a link to view a list of files that the update will impact in their email to affected users.
If you received the email notification from Google on Monday, please refer to Update for Google Drive Shared Links FAQ for more information on who is impacted, what impact this will have on you, and what steps you should take.
