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Google Drive is flagging text files that only contain a “1” or “0” as copyright infringements. These seemingly harmless bits are automatically targeted by the storage platform’s filtering algorithm, apparently for a terms of service violation. As if that’s not drastic enough, there is no option to challenge this arbitrary decision.
The entire digital world is made up of binary code, often 1’s and 0’s. When you piece enough of them together, beautiful things can be created.
By themselves, these two numbers are not that impressive. However, Google Drive appears to see them as a threat of sorts.
The Infringing “1”
Yesterday, Dr. Emily Dolson, an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University studying eco-evolutionary dynamics, noted that the storage platform had flagged one of her files.
It is no secret that Google uses automatic hash recognition to scan for copyright-infringing content. In this case, however, it was nothing more than a…
You can read the full Torrent Freak article here
