Beware! Do NOT use Google Drive for Desktop!!!

The other day I downloaded Drive for desktop so I could sync my DoD school account. During the setup, it asked permission to modify ~/Library/MobileDocuments. This was the first red flag (which I stupidly ignored). After installing it and setting it up to sync my school folder to Users/~/School, it said it needed "time to sync" so I let it alone and started doing my homework. About half an hour later, The fans start to spin up really loud. When I check the finder, it says over a thousand items, only totaling around 2MB, are syncing to my iCloud. I frantically checked my iCloud files. They all appeared normal, and opened fine. When it was done, I closed drive and went to bed. The next day, I log on and get an ad from google drive exclaiming "Ditch Apple, get 15GB free with Drive!" I scoff, as I have the 2TB iCloud plan lmao. I close drive and go to iCloud to open my essay, but all of the icons on the files have been replaced with google drive icons, and they only open when Google Drive is open!!! What it turns out had happened is that Google had uploaded my entire iCloud Drive overnight, and replaced all of the files with Drive shortcuts. When I tried to open one, I got a message telling me that my Google drive was full, and if I didn't pay now, anything past the first 15 GB would be deleted!!! I ended up saying no and uninstalling Drive because there is already a way to restore files: iCloud.com! Just go to settings and choose "Recover Files"! However, the files hadn't been deleted, they had been corrupted, meaning that there was no backup in iCloud. Frantically I call apple support and connect to a Senior advisor, but it's no use: what's done had been done, and there was nothing they could do to help me.

Quite honestly, they will also do this if you download Google Photos on an iPhone. They will upload everything to Google, and then ask you if you want to "free up space on your IPhone" leading you to assume that it works similarly to iCloud Drive, where it offloads them from the device. however, this does not offload the photos, it deletes them from your iCloud Photo Library. I don't know how they let this malware onto the App Store.

The moral of the story: Beware of those who sell cheap hardware; they likely make their money in more nefarious ways...