Google Workspace Changes

Administrators can now access granular external sharing fields in Drive Inventory Reporting to simplify permission structures and identify external exposure.

Google Drive administrators using Drive Inventory Reporting in Google BigQuery can now access granular external sharing fields that automatically consolidate direct permissions, group memberships, and public links into clear signals, making it easier to identify external exposure across Drive environments. The update also allows distinguishing between human users, service accounts, and files published to the web, and enables cross-referencing sharing attributes with existing Data Loss Prevention (DLP) metadata to prioritize remediation for high-risk data. The feature is off by default and can be enabled via the 'External sharing calculations' setting under Drive inventory report settings in the Google Admin console; note that enabling may extend processing time for organizations with large Google groups. Rollout begins August 14, 2026 for both Rapid and Scheduled Release domains, with gradual visibility over up to 15 days.