Are there any google docs proxies, like how Piped is a YouTube proxy?
from communism@lemmy.ml to privacy@lemmy.ml on 30 Jul 2024 23:23
https://lemmy.ml/post/18594780

I sometimes get linked google docs links and would like to view them without visiting a google site directly.

#privacy

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Interstellar_1@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 30 Jul 2024 23:54 next collapse

Afaik, no

helpImTrappedOnline@lemmy.world on 31 Jul 2024 00:45 next collapse

This is not really a useful answer, but its an option —

make a scary looking autoreply; “the link you have sent is has been detected as mailware and has been blocked”. Just play dumb and ask for a PDF/some other means of file transfer.

communism@lemmy.ml on 31 Jul 2024 01:24 next collapse

Yeah you’re right that’s not a useful answer. This question in particular was also prompted by being linked a public resource, so even if I got someone else to download it for me and send it to me as a .ods file (it was a Google Sheets link specifically), that would just be offloading who visits the google site to someone else. Ie using your friend as a proxy. Which may be fine if you just don’t want to visit the site yourself and that’s your only objection, but I am pretty easily traceable to the type of friend who would send me a google docs link, and it definitely doesn’t offer the same anonymity as a proxy like Piped which is used by a lot of people (as opposed to a proxy like my friend, a proxy which is only used by one person…)

delirious_owl@discuss.online on 31 Jul 2024 01:46 collapse

That’s a very useful workaround

rand_alpha19@moist.catsweat.com on 31 Jul 2024 01:57 next collapse

I'm not aware of any Google Docs frontends. But maybe a dummy Google account using a private window with ad-blocking and tracker-blocking enabled would work?

barcaxavi@lemmy.world on 31 Jul 2024 08:00 next collapse

I’m not familiar with such solutions, but I wouldn’t get your hopes high, as Google Docs is not a collection of publicly available files (like YouTube), rather files closed behind different accesses.

Based on this, depending on how a file is shared with you, you could be asked to authenticate yourself somehow. Without the deeper understanding of your situation, I can only think of one solution: downloading these files with manipulating the links, like this for example (if they are public): stackoverflow.com/…/getting-the-download-link-for…

If they are not public, I think you still have the chance to do this, but I can’t see any steps around authenticating with Google in their own site. And then download the file.

foremanguy92_@lemmy.ml on 31 Jul 2024 13:54 next collapse

Even when using open source alternatives the server know your IP and you don’t know what they are going to do.

ReversalHatchery@beehaw.org on 01 Aug 2024 18:58 collapse

They were asking about a proxy, not a frontend. Like, invidious and piped are YouTube frontends, but both of them has a proxy feature, always-on with piped, which makes the frontend proxy all requests (even video segments) through the server of your choice.

So with a proxy service, google will not see your IP, unless the proxy you use is a mole.

Arkhive@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 31 Jul 2024 18:47 next collapse

Not a proxy, but cryptpad is a fairly good alternative.

Reddfugee42@lemmy.world on 31 Jul 2024 19:03 collapse

What are you trying to achieve that wouldn’t be achieved with a VPN and a private browser session?