Why Google blocked access to users’ files
On 31 October, Google mistakenly blocked access to certain users’ files, including Google Docs.
This was due to a bug that incorrectly flagged files as violating Google’s terms of service.
Google said Google Docs and Drive products have automatic, preventive security precautions in place to protect its users from malware, phishing, and spam.
“Virus and malware scanning is an industry best practice that performs automated comparisons against known samples and indicators,” said Google.
The bug caused the Google Docs and Drive services to misinterpret the response from these protection systems, however, and erroneously mark some files as violations.
This caused access denials for users.
“We removed the bug and worked to restore access to all affected files,” said Google.