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I am considering signing up for a third-party service called Insync to access my Google Drive account. (Google does not offer a Linux client.)

Insync reports in its FAQ:

  • Does Insync store any of my files? No we don't. None of your files ever pass through our servers.

  • Does Insync store my Google account login information? Insync stores your Google email address but never your Google account password. Insync uses Google OAuth22 (Authorization Tokens) for authentication and authorization. OAuth is an open standard authorization protocol that allows third parties to access user data without the need to know a user's password.

  • Just how secure are my files? Insync syncs the files directly to Google Drive's SSL connection16 (a secured connection). You give Insync access to your files via Google OAuth. Files are directly accessed via the client app to sync your files.

  • What stuff do we upload to our Insync servers? We store your Google email address (never your passwords and account information), your platform (OS version) and Google Drive quota info (total, used, others, trashed).

Questions:

  • Would it be possible for Insync to access my files stored in Google Drive if I make an Insync account and use the desktop application? How?
  • Are there any precautionary measures I should take?
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Would it be possible for Insync to access my files stored in Google Drive if I make an Insync account and use the desktop application? How?

Since you authorize the desktop application to access your files and since the desktop application is created by Insync they could in theory add a backdoor to the application so that they get access to your files.

Are there any precautionary measures I should take?

Either you trust them to do the right thing or not. If you don't trust them don't use their apps. There is nothing in between.

Note that is not specific to Insync but the general question of how much you can trust 3rd party software and hardware to handle your data.

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