News - Google Drive privacy concerns

[TheAnimus]

If I am not mistaken a while back dropbox had something in their T&Cs that basically allowed them to access your files at anytime without your permission. It's not just Google playing with fire.

True, but one company is an advertising firm, which builds its business on profiling the users, understanding them and selling their behaviours and interests for profit.

Dropbox is a firm which is strangely inept (anyone remember that oopsie they had a while ago where people could view other peoples files!) but doesn't sell out to advertisers at present.

That big difference is to me, the worrying part.

[DannyM]

I can't disagree and I've always been a bit of a fan of Googles services, what they offer and the quality of their products is fantastic, it's just how they control what they have that is off putting as of late. I just think it's a bit too easy for folk to jump the gun at times, but as you say, I think I would be more concerned about Google than Dropbox considering what they do with the information they have.

[watercooled]

Provided you used a decent passphrase i.e. not your name/DOB/'password'/etc Google couldn't crack a TC container. TC is an incredibly well designed bit of encryption software, with a lot of effort put into key strengthening. So even if Google for whatever reason wanted to attack them (even though they couldn't identify them - they're designed to be indistinguishable from a random blob of data) they could manage possibly a basic, small dictionary attack. Encryption isn't this 'ooh give me 30 mins I'm creating a Visual Basic GUI script to decpiher the file header descriptor cipher ...lots of other random technical words...' you see on TV.

Google's T+Cs do fail but after Dropbox's lies about data being safe it's best to never trust cloud storage unless you know otherwise e.g. being able to provide your own encryption key which never leaves your PC is a good start, but really you need to know how it's used and since not many services offer fully open source implementations, it's hard to be certain...

[watercooled]

Hmm I've just attempted to upload a TC container to Skydrive and got:

Sorry, SkyDrive can't upload folders or empty files. Please try again.

Wonder if Google will be the same? 'Well of course we don't want stuff we can't actually open!'

[Scribe]

They've changed it now =P

[Noxvayl]

Just went to their site and found the same text... Although to make sure I didn't blindly agree to them doing what they want with my information I went through the rest of their document which limits the use of the information they gather and what information they gather. The information quoted in the article is concerning but as long as they stick to this it is not as bad as it sounds: https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/

I have opted out of all the services using my information even though they say it will make my experience worse. At least there is an option for you and most of the more concerning activities are strictly opt-in.

[Mattus]

Isn't this very similar to the original Chrome T&Cs that got very quickly flamed and removed?

I still don't get everyone obsession with putting things in the 'Cloud', just rent a normal server and stick your stuff there if you need external space...

That costs money. Google Drive or Dropbox doesn't.

Google Drive or Dropbox has easy-to-use applications for seamlessly syncing content between machines. Your own server doesn't.

Google Drive or Dropbox has apps available for all mobile platforms. Your own server doesn't.

[Nzyme32]

Is any data safe on an internet cloud really?! If you don't want to get screwed, don't put personal important stuff on the web. Simple

[watercooled]

If it's properly encrypted, yes, more so that data stored unencrypted on a HDD at home/work would be anyway. But unfortunately, lots of these cloud storage companies either don't make much of an effort to keep it secure, or pretend/lie which is worse as it gives people a false sense of security.

[watercooled]

Has anyone else noticed, a few days back Gmail said something like 10xxxMB storage, but now it's gone back down to 7xxx? Not complaining, just an observation...

[Kryloch]

Has anyone else noticed, a few days back Gmail said something like 10xxxMB storage, but now it's gone back down to 7xxx? Not complaining, just an observation...

Using xxxx MB of your 10241 MB My Gmail is sitting at 10xxxMB, that is indeed a jump up from the 7xxx. I did not actually notice it until it was pointed out.

My SkyDrive, I've not really used it much, tbh I've only actually taken a closer look at it yesterday has 25GB free, it was at 7GB yesterday. I've been using Dropbox since September. As to T&Cs I just take it for granted that even when reading them very closely that there may always be something in there to benefit the company that has written the T&Cs, thus do not store anything sensitive on there or anything that can certainly be taken by the company, Microsoft, Google, Dropbox, whomever.

I really would like to build my own personal server for home, but unfortunately that will have to wait. Having the convenience of Cloud storage is handy for not always carrying a USB drive with you.

[Petra Ceason]

Apart from the fact it negates why many people use cloud storage. You want your backup to be off-site.

Quite, The Cloud's only advantage as far as my one horse outfit is concerned. However, thanks to the massive explosion in the capacity of Memory sticks, and TrueCrypt, I no longer need to camel an external drive to the shops, or on holiday. I just leave a memory stick a Mum's, {That's a nice earring Dear, how does it clip on?} and another at Daughter's, {You don't trust me! I couldn't read your latest book!}

So as I said elsewhere, no matter how wonderful The Cloud is, and my brother extolls its virtues loudly, we don't need each other.

Petra.

[3930k]

Usual.