Google dedicates $1 million to independent research for Drive security

Google is placing an increased importance on security in 2016. The company has set aside $1 million to fund independent research into the security of its Drive cloud storage service, and will continue to offer a bug bounty program.

Acknowledging that "keeping files safe in Google Drive is super important", Google says that next year it will make the money available to independent security researchers. The money comes in addition to the funds that are used to employ hundreds of security experts at the company, with independence bringing an extra level of scrutiny.

Jumping on the holiday season bandwagon, Google uses the near-certain arrival of countless new devices in the coming week to promote the value of Drive, pointing out that it "can help you easily move your files and keep them all safe going forward". But of course, people want to be sure that the service they use to house files -- however temporarily it may be -- is completely safe.

Writing on the Google Drive blog, Product Manager Kevin Nelson says:

Our research grant program is one way independent security researchers contribute to Google’s data security. We're grateful for their efforts to keep Google Drive safe, so next year we’re dedicating $1,000,000 to fund even more grants for independent security research. Separately, we’ll continue to offer up to $20,000 to anyone who finds and reports a qualifying issue. The end result of these ongoing efforts is a product that -- unlike your garden-variety hard drive -- actually gets better over time.

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