Post by @ShadowJonathan@tech.lgbt

2026-08-06 15:40 UTC

:boosts_ok_gay: PSA: Apparently google trains or indexes their AI on your PRIVATE Google Drive Documents: https://www.reddit.com/r/IndieDev/comments/1vfwuf5/a_player_found_out_the_actual_name_of_my_games/ (TLDR; Indie dev had their audience ask Google highly specific questions about future content of their game, and it spat out an exact name of an upcoming enemy type. Furthermore it listed scrapped ideas and ideas that *only* existed in their *private* Google Docs.)

Replies (22)

@tripplehelix@tech.lgbt 2026-08-06 15:45

@ShadowJonathan@tech.lgbt Google said they did this years ago.

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@hsza@social.tudbut.de 2026-08-06 15:45

@ShadowJonathan@tech.lgbt wowie, google amirite cant find it in myself to be surprised at this point

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@Oyu_Fka@mastodon.social 2026-08-06 15:47

@ShadowJonathan@tech.lgbt What a surprise! Who would've thought? /s

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@passocacornio@tech.lgbt 2026-08-06 15:57

@ShadowJonathan@tech.lgbt oh, that's cute /sarcasm

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@jernej__s@infosec.exchange 2026-08-06 16:27

@ShadowJonathan@tech.lgbt Here's a related thread on bsky: https://skyview.social/?url=https://bsky.app/profile/justkelly.bsky.social/post/3msfgjbo5w222

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@RnDanger@infosec.exchange 2026-08-06 16:32

@ShadowJonathan@tech.lgbt I feel like it's worth mentioning that Google also helps governments track people for enforcement and elimination

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@Sorro@woof.tech 2026-08-06 16:35

@ShadowJonathan@tech.lgbt

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@mmm_kay@kolektiva.social 2026-08-06 16:37

@ShadowJonathan@tech.lgbt I can’t understand why anyone is surprised by this.

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@danherbert@mastodon.social 2026-08-06 16:39

@ShadowJonathan@tech.lgbt This should already be well known? When you enable Gemini in any Google app the consent/terms screen makes it clear that your emails and documents will be used as training data if you enable Gemini. It's the reason I have never enabled Gemini; the terms are too loose with my personal data.

Open ##5390043
@spiralyn@mstdn.social 2026-08-06 17:18

@ShadowJonathan@tech.lgbt we are moving toward collective knowledge and consciousness, and a world where nothing is truly private. Fortunately at this stage of the game we still have pen and notebook, and diaries with little locks to keep our private thoughts private.

Open ##5390114
@dragonfrog@mastodon.sdf.org 2026-08-06 17:42

@ShadowJonathan@tech.lgbt I'd assume it's set up basically the same as Microsoft's - it's able to read and summarize for you, documents you have access to. So if I asked it the same questions the employees did, I would not get any sensitive answers because I (and thus the AI agent "acting on my behalf" even though I never asked it to) don't have access to documents that answer the question for me.

Open ##5390115
@Mendie_Taoma@tech.lgbt 2026-08-06 18:06

@ShadowJonathan@tech.lgbt What next, is Facebook going to decide I'm trans, and nearly crack my egg wide open, after I find their advertising data on my account? No, wait, that happened like, 6-8 years ago.

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@MidniteMikeWrites@zirk.us 2026-08-06 18:41

@ShadowJonathan@tech.lgbt Not surprising but no less upsetting.

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@TimWardCam@c.im 2026-08-06 18:52

@ShadowJonathan@tech.lgbt ??? Y'mean that Google drive documents are in fact *not* encrypted at rest with a key that's only on *your* machine??? FFS. Glad I'm not using it.

Open ##5390126
@luc0x61@mastodon.gamedev.place 2026-08-06 19:28

@ShadowJonathan@tech.lgbt I assumed they've always done that, scraping every user information. If you read them their policies there's always been some point about "improving our services with your data, that hey, remains yours! We just peek inside"

Open ##5390127
@EF@mastodon.bsd.cafe 2026-08-06 19:52

@ShadowJonathan@tech.lgbt anyone using Google is cannon fodder. When will people learn they need to leave US BigTech. It is evil.

Open ##5390128
@KanaMauna@sauropods.win 2026-08-06 20:41

@ShadowJonathan@tech.lgbt A couple of years back (decade ago?) a relative of mine used a football player's name and number as his Gmail password. Then he started getting bombarded by Google webads for that player's jersey. (He changed his password.)

Open ##5390129
@justdaveisfine@mastodon.gamedev.place 2026-08-06 20:58

@ShadowJonathan@tech.lgbt This is an insanely cynical take but my first thought is that this is a marketing move by this indie dev to get some attention in their project. I don't doubt Google doing unscrupulous things but something about the linked Reddit post reads like its trying to start the outrage bandwagon.

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@jason@logoff.website 2026-08-06 22:06

@ShadowJonathan@tech.lgbt it seems like maybe people don’t know what “private” means?

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@Iveyline@mastodon.nz 2026-08-07 06:02

@ShadowJonathan@tech.lgbt You can't trust big IT. They have been stealing our personal stuff for years and then sell it on to others pretending they created it. All AI generated output uses stolen data. People buying it are as guilty as those buying stolen goods at the pub.

Open ##5390136
@ElliesSurviving@tech.lgbt 2026-08-07 11:33

@ShadowJonathan@tech.lgbt enjoy the ai training on random project sekai apks then ig (yes that is actualy what i use my gdrive for/

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@PurpleStephyr@thetransagenda.gay 2026-08-07 11:57

@ShadowJonathan@tech.lgbt so can I fill up my Google drive with nonsense to poison it?

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