Techniques to control notifications for a collaboration platform. Content items being stored in the collaboration platform are shared amongst devices coupled to the collaboration platform. To determine whether to subscribe to notifications corresponding to a content item, a notification component of the collaboration platform examines the content item for characteristics of an indirect relationship between the shared content item and a user of a device of the devices. If the indirect relationship exists and warrants a subscription to the notifications, the notification component stores subscription data for the content item and in response to an occurrence of a subscribed activity, the notification component communicates a notification message to the user's device. Other embodiments are described and claimed.