Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Security Boulevard Logo

Security Boulevard

The Home of the Security Bloggers Network

Community Chats Webinars Library
  • Home
    • Cybersecurity News
    • Features
    • Industry Spotlight
    • News Releases
  • Security Creators Network
    • Latest Posts
    • Syndicate Your Blog
    • Write for Security Boulevard
  • Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Calendar View
    • On-Demand Webinars
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • On-Demand Events
  • Sponsored Content
  • Chat
    • Security Boulevard Chat
    • Marketing InSecurity Podcast
    • Techstrong.tv Podcast
    • TechstrongTV - Twitch
  • Library
  • Related Sites
    • Techstrong Group
    • Cloud Native Now
    • DevOps.com
    • Security Boulevard
    • Techstrong Research
    • Techstrong TV
    • Techstrong.tv Podcast
    • Techstrong.tv - Twitch
    • Devops Chat
    • DevOps Dozen
    • DevOps TV
  • Media Kit
  • About
  • Sponsor

  • Analytics
  • AppSec
  • CISO
  • Cloud
  • DevOps
  • GRC
  • Identity
  • Incident Response
  • IoT / ICS
  • Threats / Breaches
  • More
    • Blockchain / Digital Currencies
    • Careers
    • Cyberlaw
    • Mobile
    • Social Engineering
  • Humor
Data Security Governance, Risk & Compliance SBN News Security Bloggers Network Threats & Breaches 

Home » Cybersecurity » Data Security » Google accidentally sent users’ private videos to strangers in stunning ‘Takeout’ mix-up

SBN

Google accidentally sent users’ private videos to strangers in stunning ‘Takeout’ mix-up

by Filip Truta on February 4, 2020

In a disconcerting security warning, Google is saying videos stored in some users’ Google Photos archive were incorrectly sent to other users who requested a download of their files.

The message, originally highlighted on Twitter by one Jon Oberheide, begins with Google saying, “We are writing to inform you of a technical issue that affected the Google ‘Download your data’ service for Google Photos between November 21, 2019 and November 25, 2019, when it was fixed.”

Techstrong Gang Youtube
AWS Hub

The search giant says that, during that time frame, people who requested an export of their data may have had their content accidentally sent to other people who performed the same request – essentially a mix-up in the way Google segregates individual users’ accounts and cloud storage.

The company says less than 0.01% of users who exported their content during that period were actually affected, according to androidcentral.com.

Credit: Jon Oberheide (@jonoberheide) via Twitter

Google assures users that the underlying issue has been identified and resolved and recommends that affected users perform another export of their data. It also tells users to delete the prior archive.

The Google Takeout service, which allows users to export a copy of their Google Account content to back it up or use it with a different service, is ironically advertised with the tagline “Your account, your data.”

Google ends the message with a boilerplate apology “for the inconvenience” that will hardly appease recipients whose intimate digital life may have been leaked to strangers.

9to5Google obtained the following statement from the web giant:

“We are notifying people about a bug that may have affected users who used Google Takeout to export their Google Photos content between November 21 and November 25. These users may have received either an incomplete archive, or videos—not photos—that were not theirs. We fixed the underlying issue and have conducted an in-depth analysis to help prevent this from ever happening again. We are very sorry this happened.”

For his part, Oberheide, who is a CTO, writes to his follower-base:

“To be clear, this is a big screw-up. I hope the number of affected parties is small, but the impact to those parties could be high…and very unsettling.”

Under new data protection laws, Google may incur a substantial fine for this monumental cockup.

To clarify for our readers, if you haven’t requested a download of your Google data between November 21, 2019 and November 25, 2019, you should not be affected.


Recent Articles By Author
  • Two-Thirds of Businesses Have Suffered Endpoint and IoT Security Incidents During COVID-19
  • ‘Inconvenient’ Cybersecurity Policies Put Healthcare Organizations at Risk
  • Prison Video-Calling Service Exposes Call Transcripts Between Convicts and Attorneys
More from Filip Truta

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from HOTforSecurity authored by Filip Truta. Read the original post at: https://hotforsecurity.bitdefender.com/blog/google-accidentally-sent-some-peoples-private-videos-to-strangers-in-massive-takeout-mix-up-22226.html

February 4, 2020February 4, 2020 Filip Truta Data breach, GDPR, Google Account, google archive, google photos, google takeout, google videos, Industry News, Privacy, privacy breach, video
  • ← Tripwire Patch Priority Index for January 2020
  • NICE INCONTACT INTERACTIONS 2020 CUSTOMER CONFERENCE →

Techstrong TV

Click full-screen to enable volume control
Watch latest episodes and shows

Tech Field Day Events

Upcoming Webinars

Securing Vibe Coding: Addressing the Security Challenges of AI-Generated Code
How to Spot and Stop Security Risks From Unmanaged AI Tools

Podcast

Listen to all of our podcasts

Press Releases

GoPlus's Latest Report Highlights How Blockchain Communities Are Leveraging Critical API Security Data To Mitigate Web3 Threats

GoPlus’s Latest Report Highlights How Blockchain Communities Are Leveraging Critical API Security Data To Mitigate Web3 Threats

C2A Security’s EVSec Risk Management and Automation Platform Gains Traction in Automotive Industry as Companies Seek to Efficiently Meet Regulatory Requirements

C2A Security’s EVSec Risk Management and Automation Platform Gains Traction in Automotive Industry as Companies Seek to Efficiently Meet Regulatory Requirements

Zama Raises $73M in Series A Lead by Multicoin Capital and Protocol Labs to Commercialize Fully Homomorphic Encryption

Zama Raises $73M in Series A Lead by Multicoin Capital and Protocol Labs to Commercialize Fully Homomorphic Encryption

RSM US Deploys Stellar Cyber Open XDR Platform to Secure Clients

RSM US Deploys Stellar Cyber Open XDR Platform to Secure Clients

ThreatHunter.ai Halts Hundreds of Attacks in the past 48 hours: Combating Ransomware and Nation-State Cyber Threats Head-On

ThreatHunter.ai Halts Hundreds of Attacks in the past 48 hours: Combating Ransomware and Nation-State Cyber Threats Head-On

Subscribe to our Newsletters

ThreatLocker

Most Read on the Boulevard

US Pig Butchering Victims ‘Will’ Get Refunds — Feds Seize $225M Cryptocurrency
16 Billion Leaked Records May Not Be a New Breach, But They’re a Threat
Is Your CISO Ready to Flee? 
Scattered Spider Targets Aflac, Other Insurance Companies
AWS Raises Expertise Bar for MSSP Partners
Your passwords are everywhere: What the massive 16 billion login leak means for you
The $4.88 Million Question: Why Password-Based Breaches Are Getting More Expensive
Cybersecurity Snapshot: Tenable Report Spotlights Cloud Exposures, as Google Catches Pro-Russia Hackers Impersonating Feds
Top 7 Ambient Listening AI Tools Revolutionizing Healthcare in 2025
Will AI Replace You — or Promote You? How to Stay Ahead

Industry Spotlight

WhatsApp BANNED by House Security Goons — But Why?
Application Security Cloud Security Cyberlaw Cybersecurity Data Privacy Data Security DevOps Endpoint Featured Governance, Risk & Compliance Humor Incident Response Industry Spotlight Mobile Security Most Read This Week Network Security News Popular Post Security Awareness Security Boulevard (Original) Social - Facebook Social - LinkedIn Social - X Spotlight Threats & Breaches Vulnerabilities 

WhatsApp BANNED by House Security Goons — But Why?

June 24, 2025 Richi Jennings | Yesterday 0
Scattered Spider Targets Aflac, Other Insurance Companies
Cloud Security Cybersecurity Data Privacy Data Security Featured Identity & Access Industry Spotlight Mobile Security Network Security News Security Awareness Security Boulevard (Original) Social - Facebook Social - LinkedIn Social - X Social Engineering Spotlight Threat Intelligence 

Scattered Spider Targets Aflac, Other Insurance Companies

June 22, 2025 Jeffrey Burt | 2 days ago 0
US Pig Butchering Victims ‘Will’ Get Refunds — Feds Seize $225M Cryptocurrency
Analytics & Intelligence Blockchain Cyberlaw Cybersecurity Data Privacy Digital Currency Featured Governance, Risk & Compliance Humor Incident Response Industry Spotlight Mobile Security Most Read This Week Network Security News Popular Post Security Awareness Security Boulevard (Original) Social - Facebook Social - LinkedIn Social - X Social Engineering Spotlight Threat Intelligence Threats & Breaches 

US Pig Butchering Victims ‘Will’ Get Refunds — Feds Seize $225M Cryptocurrency

June 20, 2025 Richi Jennings | 4 days ago 0

Top Stories

DataKrypto and Tumeryk Join Forces to Deliver World’s First Secure Encrypted Guardrails for AI LLMs and SLMs
AI and Machine Learning in Security AI and ML in Security Cybersecurity Featured Governance, Risk & Compliance News Security Awareness Security Boulevard (Original) Social - Facebook Social - LinkedIn Social - X Spotlight 

DataKrypto and Tumeryk Join Forces to Deliver World’s First Secure Encrypted Guardrails for AI LLMs and SLMs

June 24, 2025 John D. Boyle | Yesterday 0
16 Billion Leaked Records May Not Be a New Breach, But They’re a Threat
Cloud Security Cybersecurity Data Privacy Data Security Endpoint Featured Identity & Access Malware Mobile Security Network Security News Security Boulevard (Original) Social - Facebook Social - LinkedIn Social - X Social Engineering Spotlight Threat Intelligence Threats & Breaches 

16 Billion Leaked Records May Not Be a New Breach, But They’re a Threat

June 22, 2025 Jeffrey Burt | 2 days ago 0
AWS Raises Expertise Bar for MSSP Partners
AI and Machine Learning in Security Cybersecurity Featured News Security Boulevard (Original) Social - Facebook Social - LinkedIn Social - X Spotlight 

AWS Raises Expertise Bar for MSSP Partners

June 22, 2025 Michael Vizard | 2 days ago 0

Security Humor

amie Crotts, the Chief Information Officer for the U.S. House of Representatives.

WhatsApp BANNED by House Security Goons — But Why?

Download Free eBook

Managing the AppSec Toolstack

Security Boulevard Logo White

DMCA

Join the Community

  • Add your blog to Security Creators Network
  • Write for Security Boulevard
  • Bloggers Meetup and Awards
  • Ask a Question
  • Email: [email protected]

Useful Links

  • About
  • Media Kit
  • Sponsor Info
  • Copyright
  • TOS
  • DMCA Compliance Statement
  • Privacy Policy

Related Sites

  • Techstrong Group
  • Cloud Native Now
  • DevOps.com
  • Digital CxO
  • Techstrong Research
  • Techstrong TV
  • Techstrong.tv Podcast
  • DevOps Chat
  • DevOps Dozen
  • DevOps TV
Powered by Techstrong Group
Copyright © 2025 Techstrong Group Inc. All rights reserved.
×