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Google has apologised after some users of its Google Docs service were locked out of files in their accounts.
The error caused some files to become locked and users were told they had violated the technology giant’s terms of service.
Google said an error in a recent code update caused the issue, but it has now been resolved.
google what is you doing pic.twitter.com/kIC4tZw71f
— CJ Ciaramella (@cjciaramella) October 31, 2017
this is terrifying. I've a manuscript nearly finished in Google Docs and I'm hearing rumours of Docs files crashing. Eep!
— Joe Griffin (@theJoeGriffin) November 1, 2017
“The morning of October 31, we made a code push that incorrectly flagged a small percentage of Google Docs as abusive, which caused those documents to be automatically blocked,” the company said in a statement.
“A fix is in place and all users should have full access to their docs. Protecting users from viruses, malware and other abusive content is central to user safety.”
Google Docs is the company’s free online word processor that enables multiple users to create and edit documents at the same time.
It is part of the Google Drive office suite along with spreadsheet programme Google Sheets and presentation app Google Slides.
Users of Google Docs took to social media to share complaints about the issue, with many reporting being suddenly kicked out of documents and shown a message that claimed the file had been “flagged as inappropriate”.
“We apologise for the disruption and will put processes in place to prevent this from happening again,” Google’s statement said.
