Safety rules: How to delete photos in Google Cloud and iCloud

Siloviki are now looking not only at Belarusians' Telegram subscriptions, but also in their cloud drives -- looking for something fishy. Created for convenience, Belarusians' cloud photo and video synchronization features can bring problems. Here's how to clean up your media files in Google Drive, Google Photos, and iCloud. 

What should I delete anyway?

If you're in Belarus, it's best to delete any evidence of your participation in protests, marches, and backyard tea parties -- but that's not all. For example, if you made screenshots of "extremist" media or saved a photo with a "dangerous" logo, this can also be used against you - and at least send you to jail for 24 hours for possession of extremist materials. So it pays to clean up your media files folder as thoroughly as possible to avoid missing anything.

How to clean Google services

If you have an Android phone and you have not turned off the synchronization of photos in the "cloud" (most have it automatically on) - find the application "Photo" on your smartphone.

Now take a close look at all the files, especially for 2020 and 2021.

To delete a photo or video from the cloud, click and hold it, it will be highlighted (blue checkmark). Select the other media files you want to remove from your Google services and click "Delete" (trash can icon).

The "dangerous" photos and videos will now be moved to the Google Photo trash. Go there, select "Library," and you will find "Trash. Click on the three-dot menu, select "Empty Trash", and choose "Delete permanently".

Also check your Google Drive, which is an application on most Android devices. The deletion scheme is similar: select "dangerous" files in the "Files" tab, delete to the trash, and then be sure to clean the trash itself.

If you have not already done so, turn off your phone's synchronization with Google services. In the settings, find the field "Google", there will be your account with a note that synchronization is enabled. Click on it and uncheck the boxes for content synchronization.

Locate the "Photos" section (contrary to the name, it also contains videos). Click on the pictures to highlight them, then click on the trash can icon. Then find "Recently Deleted" and click "Delete All".

Also take a look at the iCloud Drive tab (similar to Google Drive), just in case. The deletion scheme is similar.

To turn off syncing your iPhone with iCloud, go to Settings, select the appropriate item, and uncheck the boxes.

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