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“Your File May Violate Google Drive's Terms of Service”

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“Your File May Violate Google Drive's Terms of Service”

#1
According to Google,

> $name contains content that may violate Google Drive's Phishing policy. People that you've shared this file with will still be able to access it, but they will see a warning on the file. If you think this is an error and would like the Trust & Safety team to review this file, request a review below.

…if I open it, the Google Sheet tells me "It contains links that might be used to steal your personal information." But it doesn't tell me which like.

The sheet is a list of wedding vendors — we're trying to plan a wedding. So if one of the wedding vendor's sites has be pwned, a.) I'd like to know, and b.) how TF is that my fault, such that it translates to a ToS violation, Google?

Of course, the appeal button offers me no ability to include an explanation, or a request for which link …

Re: “Your File May Violate Google Drive's Terms of Service”

#3

Can you programmatically create a set of sheets that each exclude one vendor to see which one doesn't get flagged and identify the culprit?

Good idea... almost. You're assuming that there's only one problematic link.

It might be better to go the other direction - create a set of sheets that each contain only one vendor, and see which (and how many) get flagged.

Re: “Your File May Violate Google Drive's Terms of Service”

#4

Can you programmatically create a set of sheets that each exclude one vendor to see which one doesn't get flagged and identify the culprit?

Good idea... almost. You're assuming that there's only one problematic link. It might be better to go the other direction - create a set of sheets that each contain only one vendor, and see which (and how many) get flagged.

Yes you're right, that makes more sense, I don't know why doing it the other way is what came to my mind first

Re: “Your File May Violate Google Drive's Terms of Service”

#7

Can you programmatically create a set of sheets that each exclude one vendor to see which one doesn't get flagged and identify the culprit?

Because if more than one vendor causes the problem, you have only skimmed off a minimum of possibilities.

Re: “Your File May Violate Google Drive's Terms of Service”

#9
You could bisect the sheet. Bisection would be fastest algorithm to identify the "bug".

Bisection would be to split the sheet into half and half into new files. Split the offending sheet further and so no on until you identify the offending entry.

This method should work even if more than one vendor/ row has a problem - you bisect the parts which are bad and keep doing it until there is only one record.

Note: This assumes that Google scans consistently and immediately the same way immediately each file

--

Important Note: Your ToS violation notice may become a suspension if more than one violation is tagged to your account.

Knowing Google's support quality I wouldn't personally risk my Google account and would move the entire file contents to say Notion which perhaps is more suited tool for this kind of planning .

Re: “Your File May Violate Google Drive's Terms of Service”

#10
I'd check the urls contained within against Google's Safe Browsing Site Status[0], then maybe virustotal[1] or urlscan[2].

Sucks that Google isn't more transparent in its email.

[0] https://transparencyreport.google.com/safe-browsing/search?h...

[1] https://www.virustotal.com/gui/home/upload

[2] https://urlscan.io/

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