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Wade IV's avatar
Wade IV
Explorer | Level 4
4 years ago

I'd like to see files that users copy locally - is there a way to report on this?

We use DropBox for our work and have a distributed base of uses that need access to our files. However, as this is our IP, we'd like to be more confident things aren't copied locally. We know that this is possible, and may be practical for some work, but the point is that if someone has copied a great deal of our IP to their local machine, we'd like to know about it. Any hints?

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  • Jane's avatar
    Jane
    6 years ago
    Thanks for clarifying maddy2! At the moment this info isn’t recorded on our end, however I appreciate the time you took to detail us your interest on this functionality on our conversation here. 
     
    I’ve already made sure to pass your interest on the Activity report you mentioned up the ladder for future iterations, as we take your feedback seriously & we aim to provide all Dropbox users the best experience possible. Feel free to ping me back if you have more questions or thoughts! 
  • maddy2's avatar
    maddy2
    New member | Level 2
    6 years ago

    Can I know if someone copies file or folders from Dropbox folder to his local disk? Is there a notification sent to admin or activity log regarding it?

    • Jane's avatar
      Jane
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
      6 years ago
      Hey Maddy (maddy2), if you're working on a shared folder with a colleague/friend, then they can sync down the contents of the project you're both accessing on their connected devices (& copy them elsewhere on their device as well). However, if you’re working on a team account, you should be able to track the following details through the Activity tab on your admin console:
       
      Spoiler
      • Downloaded a file
      • Downloaded a file from a link (non-team member)
      • Downloaded a file/folder from a link (non-team member)
      If you can’t access the admin console directly, then you could ask your team admin to create this report for you. 
       
      I hope that my tip above is- even slightly- helpful in locating the info you need & please let me know under this discussion in case you have more questions about any of the above. Wishing you a fruitful week ahead!
      • maddy2's avatar
        maddy2
        New member | Level 2
        6 years ago

        Hi Jane, thanks a lot for the sharing the above info. I realise the Download, Editing etc activity gets recorded and can be seen by the admin.

        I wanted to know if and how, I (as admin) can come to know if someone copies a file or folder from their dropbox folder on local disk to another place on their local disk - only copy, not remove from the Dropbox folder? When someone makes a change to a file placed within their dropbox folder on local disk, the log activity shows once the file syncs online. Does copying file to a folder outside of the dropbox folder (both within the PC's or Mac's local hard disk) also get recorded or notified?

  • Lusil's avatar
    Lusil
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    4 years ago

    Hi there Wade IV, thanks for dropping by. 

     

    Since the Dropbox folder is just like any other folder on your computer, there isn't a way to track files that have been copied outside of it. 


    However, have a look at network control in case it's something that interests you. 

     

    Check it out, and let me know if you have any other questions. Cheers!

    • Wade IV's avatar
      Wade IV
      Explorer | Level 4
      4 years ago

      Thanks for the response. Not what I was hoping for, but there it is. I did look at Network Control and it didn't seem to crack that nut either. Does it allow you to see who did what?

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