Google's Security Changes Will Break The Bunch Of YouTube & One Drive links

Public links to an unspoken number of items stored in Google Drive and YouTube will soon no longer exist. For added security, Google is changing the way link sharing is handled in both services, and while active users can opt out of the change, files and videos left in idle or inactive accounts may simply not always show up.

This is because shared links are now part of a newer system that, according to Google, increases security. On YouTube, it’s obvious that it’s harder for everyone to guess or access newer links without explicit access. Newer links also affect the association of additional activities with specific accounts and require viewers to sign in, allowing them to track access and become part of each user’s profile.

These changes will affect all videos on YouTube that are public but are marked as "unlisted". As explained in a blog post and five-minute video, the status of all unlisted videos uploaded before 2017 will change to private from July 23. The way private videos now work will kill any old links or embeds, plus it limits sharing to a maximum of 50 people—all of whom will need a Google account to view it.

Those who prefer to share their old unlisted videos with public links embed, and comments can opt-out on a per-account basis by filling out this form next month. The only other option is to re-upload those videos and mark them as unlisted.

Google Drive is going through the same changes as announced earlier today on the Workspace Update blog. Clicking on a link to access cloud-stored files will now include a resource key that determines who gets or doesn't have access. If you've already accessed a file (possibly while logged into your Google Account), you'll still have access to it, and if you have "direct access," it'll continue to work.

If it isn't, you'll need to make a request to access the file or folder. If you have a personal Google/Gmail account and use Drive, you will receive an email after July 26 notifying you of any files that may be affected by this change. If your account contains links that will be affected, you will be able to opt-out of "Security Updates" provided you do so before September 13, 2021.

It's a little more complicated if you use a Google Workspace account managed by your employer, school, or other organization. The administrator/IT department can choose to opt-out entirely, apply the update to everyone without opt-out possible, or apply the update and allow individual users to remove it from specific files.