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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

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!

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maddy2

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

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

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?

Jane

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.

RoBro

Is this feature on the roadmap now? Can you share if it is planned?

Lusil

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

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?

Walter

Hey there @Wade IV; how are you today?

I'm sorry to jump in, but would this resource help with what you had in mind?

On a side, are you aware with our device approvals feature?

Wade IV

Thanks. The device approvals doesn't really hot what I'm looking for, but the reporting may...it's just there is a pile of options and nothing seems intuitively to provide a view on downloaded files...I can see if someone transfers to another DB folder, but not if a file has been downlaoded locally. Am I just missing seeing the right option?

Walter

In that case, you can try the different filter options when viewing your team's activity.

Let me know if that helps @Wade IV!

Wade IV

Yes, familiar with the reporting and filters. Here's where I'm getting stuck. Your FAQ document cites "File-level activity includes adding, editing, moving, and deleting files" would be aprt of the criteria. But what I actually see is that this is WITHIN Dropbox only. So if someone moves a file from folder A -> B in Dropbox, i can see it. But if they move from Dropbox -> their C: drive on a local computer, I'm not seeing this.

Can you let me know if your reporting covers this because for the life of me i don't think it does and have tried repeatedly to "see" this activity.

Walter

I'm sorry to ask, but are you on the Advanced or Enterprise Dropbox Business plan for Teams, Wade?

File level activities are offered to Admins on those plans and not to our Standard plan for Business Teams.