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April 19, 2013

Anonymous Animals in Google Drive

Google found a funny way to show the anonymous persons who open a document in Google Drive. Instead of only using different colors for each person, Google Drive associates each person with an animal, so you'll see things like "anonymous anteater", "anonymous moose", "anonymous chupacabra", "anonymous axolotl", "anonymous kraken", "anonymous gopher", "anonymous jackalope". Google also uses special icons for each animal.

For the moment, this only works for PDF files, photos, videos and other files that can't be edited using Google's apps.


To test this feature, click a random photo from this folder and click the "open" button.




Here's the list: alligator, anteater, armadillo, auroch, axolotl, badger, bat, beaver, buffalo, camel, chameleon, cheetah, chipmunk, chinchilla, chupacabra, cormorant, coyote, crow, dingo, dinosaur, dolphin, duck, elephant, ferret, fox, frog, giraffe, gopher, grizzly, hedgehog, hippo, hyena, jackal, ibex, ifrit, iguana, koala, kraken, lemur, leopard, liger, llama, manatee, mink, monkey, narwhal, nyan cat, orangutan, otter, panda, penguin, platypus, python, pumpkin (sic!), quagga, rabbit, raccoon, rhino, sheep, shrew, skunk, slow loris, squirrel, turtle, walrus, wolf, wolverine, wombat. Missing anything?

{ Thanks, Yu-Hsuan Lin. }

81 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. yeah it is missing the tiger

      Delete
    2. here cheetah (tiger) cheetah is also know as tiger

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    3. Cheetah and Tiger are two different animals...

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    4. But in some parts of the world, both animals are referred to with the same name.

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    5. Actually, Cheetah and Tiger are different.
      Is leopard and Tiger same for you???? :D

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    6. no one refers a cheetah as a tiger

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    7. Guess it never dawned on some people living in their bubbles that there are languages around the world that group things. My birth language there was only one word for Monkey, Dog, Cat, Lion was used for all big cats.

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    8. I want to know who are the anonomous people and why do they have a nayan cat!?

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  2. i need to know why do these animals pop up on your google doc or slides or any other google drive things

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It means people are viewing the document or the drive. Something must be set to public and they have access.

      Delete
    2. It means people are viewing the document or the drive. Something must be set to public and they have access.

      Delete
    3. I had this happen to a Google Spreadsheet late last night. Only people in our organization has access to the file. It is not shared publicly. So how is possible someone else can access it?

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    4. they could possibly be accessing it via shared link while not logged in.

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    5. ^right
      I just had this happen.. and while confused and worried for a moment I eventually realized that I am an idiot because I had the file open in a different browser.. but then logged out of google in that browser while leaving the file open and moving back to my other browser to see that an anonymous chupacabre was viewing our company files!? oh no!? wait... no.. it was just me.

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    6. I JUST made a document and shared the link with ONE person who hasn't even seen the link yet and i already have 4 anonymous animals "viewing" it before i even make link available..makes me nervous to be honest

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    7. Why would Google allow an anonymous/random person to view something from the drive? What if it was supposed to be private? And how could an anonymous person view the drive? I am confused, and mad.

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    8. And also, how do you test the feature? I clicked the "this folder" button, but it just said said: Error 404

      It just said something about not seeing it.

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    9. Unicorns you click on sharing when in the document, and make it available by link or publicly. If you don't allow anyone to edit it, they will be the anonymous person. I think you can make it available to edit while they're viewing it and you can see who's viewing it but that risks people screwing up your file.

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    10. Not good Google, not good at all. There should be a default setting that only viewers INVITED to view have access. Then if the editor / admin decides to make it public it has to be altered to allow this from the default position of invites only. Like a lot of users I have company information on docs that I certainly do not want to be seen as common knowledge. Just sayin'

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  3. can i be an be an anonymous animal ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yes just open it in an incognito tab or private window

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    2. no you can't just accept the fact that you're human

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    3. yes, when you enter a public document you are automaticly one.
      just go to the comment thing and where it says how many people are there it will say what you are.

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  4. How can I prevent anonymous people to access documents?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Missing the Lion, the Tiger, and the Bear. Cat and dog.

    Also Unicorn. If the chupacabra and kraken are listed, then so should be the dragon, phoenix, mermaid, selkie, unicorn, werewolf, etc..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love that you included selkie!

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    2. have you actually seen those animals in the doc. because those animals listed (mostly) are not part of the animals.... -_-

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  6. Instead of Anonymous Dinosaur, they should really have done Anonymous T-Rex, Anonymous Stegosaurus, etc.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I cant get this 2 work

    ReplyDelete
  8. Replies
    1. you can't, it automatically assigns one for you

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  9. i had one on google docs yesterday.

    ReplyDelete
  10. But I have it set to only allow someone to open it if they have the link, and I only sent it to one person, but now I have three anonymous animals looking at my document! Why?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trust No One! Especially that anonymous pumpkin, there's something just not quite right about that one!!!

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    2. The person you shared the link with most likely shared the link to others. Share privately only.

      Delete
  11. https://support.google.com/docs/answer/2494888?hl=en

    ReplyDelete
  12. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z6V3MP4SxWAqC8--gw41oVJrnySQ9QUjICkaFi83M28/edit

    ReplyDelete
  13. I got Anonymous Manatee -- out of context I wondered if someone misspelled Maintainee!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. i got 10 people in a row

    ReplyDelete
  15. get rid of these stuip silly stuff they are aynoing and our teacher hates it!!!!!!!!! get rid of it idmeteaty

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ur spellingest are much horribler, and me grammars are badest very.

      Delete
  16. Yeah

    Your A bit dum get off it we do not know you

    So why!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. One, my birth day, Two, Google docs and Google sildes has this feature.

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  18. It works on Google docs and slides

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  19. Put he gotta eat da booty like groceries

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  20. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1fDKYMsLFd8v-zpdsMcu27bzFysgsb7tDvglky9zzdik/edit#slide=id.p4

    ReplyDelete
  21. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1TVhAhfMRNp_vjmTFJYwPyXdUKPbjw4faQnYIrHOqL3c/edit#slide=id.p4

    ReplyDelete
  22. Don't make me think! Stupid feature.

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  23. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  24. hi author useful article and looking forward for more articles.
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    Visit Paperopedia

    ReplyDelete
  25. they hacked my somthin from my school anonymous moose was in my google drive with all my friends we were on our cheetah chatter thing then moose was in the chat..he said hi and he wouldent get out

    ReplyDelete
  26. Why does any anonymous person get to open anyone's PRIVATE FILES?????????
    Can someone from Google company explain, PLEASE??... I didnt get to read a thing about this in any contract. Needing some explanations.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I set my document to private and the anonymous animal is still there... getting weirded out now...

    ReplyDelete
  28. I set my document to private and the anonymous animal is still there... getting weirded out now...

    ReplyDelete
  29. Still confused as how you do this, can you guys help me?

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  30. I've got Walrus guy...

    ReplyDelete

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    ReplyDelete
  32. how do I add my email there so it wont be anonymous n so that people know I edited the document?

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  33. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  34. Call me crazy, but I'm trying to find them all!

    ReplyDelete
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    Thanks for Sharing.. https://complaints.goprocessing.name/

    ReplyDelete
  36. they forgot to put every single anonymous animal in there

    ReplyDelete
  37. what about DUMBO OCTOPUS
    JACKALOPE
    SHANNON SULLIVAN
    HAMSTER

    ReplyDelete

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