| Question | Answer | |----------|--------| | | Yes. Use the “Share link with expiration” feature and set the permission to Viewer . The recipient will be prompted to sign in with a Google account for the first view; after that, they can watch without a permanent account. | | Did Google delete any of my videos during the patch? | No. The patch only altered how URLs are generated and validated; it never removed user content. However, Google automatically revoked any anyone‑with‑link URLs that were still active for high‑risk accounts. You will receive a notification to re‑share if needed. | | What if I already have a birth video that was accessed by an unknown party? | Check the Drive activity log for that file. If you see any unknown IPs or devices, download a fresh copy, re‑encrypt it, delete the original, and re‑upload the encrypted version. Then rotate the sharing settings. | | Is there a way to know whether my video’s metadata (e.g., date, location) is exposed? | Yes. Open the file in Google Drive, click Details → Properties , and review the EXIF data. Remove any location tags or timestamps you don’t want to share before uploading or use a metadata‑scrubbing tool. | | Will future patches affect my existing shared links? | Google’s policy is to preserve valid links when possible, but any link that relies on the now‑deprecated “anyone‑with‑link” model will be forced to expire after a short grace period (typically 48 hours). You’ll receive a prompt to re‑create the link under the new, more secure format. |
