Google Drive Is Not Private

Summary

The video explains how to move files from Google Drive to MEGA and compares the services’ privacy protections.

MEGA’s Encryption

MEGA encrypts files on the user’s device before uploading them. According to the video, the encryption key is derived from the account password and is not available to MEGA. This is described as end-to-end or zero-access encryption.

If the password or recovery keys are lost, access to files may be permanently lost, so they should be stored securely.

Sharing Files

Users can share folders directly with another MEGA account using public-key cryptography, or create a link that anyone can use. For link sharing, the decryption key appears after the # in the URL. The browser handles this URL fragment locally rather than sending it to the server.

Anyone with the complete link can access the file, so the video advises treating it like a password. Links can also be password-protected, given an expiration date, or revoked.

Privacy Caveats

MEGA’s protection depends in part on trusting its software. The video also warns that sharing a MEGA link through an unencrypted service, such as Gmail, may expose the link and its decryption key.

Migrating Files from Google Drive

1. Create a MEGA account and securely save the password and recovery keys.
2. In MEGA, choose Download, then Import from another cloud service.
3. Select Google Drive, authorize MEGA through Google’s sign-in page, and start the import. The transfer happens server-to-server, without first downloading files to the user’s computer.

During this import process, MEGA’s servers must handle files in unencrypted form before encrypting them for the MEGA account. The video says MEGA claims imports run on dedicated servers and that the keys are deleted afterward.

An alternative is to download the files and upload them through the MEGA app, so they are encrypted on the user’s device first.

Ownership Limitation

MEGA’s Google Drive import only transfers files owned by the importing user. Files added to a folder by other people may be skipped, even if the user owns the folder. Options include asking the file owner to transfer ownership or making copies.

Because Google Drive does not provide a straightforward way to duplicate entire folder trees, the presenter describes using Rclone to automate copying files while preserving the folder structure. A separate Rclone tutorial is mentioned as a possible follow-up, but is not included in this video.

Source and Acknowledgment

The main speaker is the presenter on Naomi Brockwell TV. The video also acknowledges support from the Ludlow Institute.