Linux Journal | December 2012 | Issue 224 - ACM Digital Library

INDEPTHin Google Docs (now called GoogleDrive), but it may, according to itslicense agreement, use data about thecontent you upload to target ads to youanywhere on the service.Google also may give up your datain response to a legal demand, likea subpoena. If you want your cloudstorage to be a little more out of touch,you might be interested in Wuala, whichhas no storage servers in the UnitedStates. Or, you might just want to keepyour data off the Internet.Google Drive and SecurityGoogle Drive encrypts data betweenyour computer and the Google servers.If you’re using your Google Drive overthe Web, the connection defaults tosecure (HTTPS), and when you usethe software that makes your GoogleDrive appear on your computer likea local hard drive, the data betweenyour computer and Google is likewiseencrypted. No casual hacker will beable to grab your files by monitoring orintercepting your Internet connection toGoogle. Your data also is stored underlock and key at Google itself, but it isnot encrypted on the Google servers.You will have to encrypt your own filesahead of time. A Google rep explainedwhy: encrypting files stored at Googlewould prevent you from previewingthem on the Web, and it also wouldprevent services like Google Gogglesand its OCR engine from accessing fileson your behalf. (I presume it also wouldprevent Google’s ad-serving algorithmsfrom scanning your data to serve youmore targeted messages, and this ishow Google makes its money.)Linux InstallationIf you install the Google Drive clientapp for your Windows or Mac PC, youcan sync all your on-line Google Docsto your computer. You can be selectivewith your syncing—sync Google Docs,all of My Drive or individual folders, anditems in Shared with me.But for all the celebration, there issomething missing: a Linux client. TheGoogle Drive client is not yet availablefor Linux, and the old Google Docs FSdoes not work too well with GoogleDrive, so besides the Web interface,the best solution for getting GoogleDrive on Linux right now is usingGrive, an unofficial, open-source,command-line Linux client for GoogleDrive. Grive has been put together bya third-party developer, and it looksquite nice. Thanks Google for makingDrive an open platform.The purpose of Grive Project is toprovide an independent implementationof the Google Drive client. It uses theGoogle Document List API to talk toGoogle’s servers. The code is written inWWW.LINUXJOURNAL.COM / DECEMBER 2012 / 93