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Wary of the Cloud?

K

kevincott

Android Expert
I was wondering if others are as wary of Cloud based storage as I am.

It seems plausible for movies/music type data but I am wary of storing personal type data.

1. ToS can say that a Cloud service 'owns' your data or has the right to access your data.

2. I am hesitant to truly be at the mercy of the WWW. Be it data caps or possibly not always having a connection, it seems like I would be SoL at some point.
 
I am wary primarily because of the US Patriot Act. I am concerned that the US Government can snoop around my data. I know that my company stopped doing business with some US companies because the US Patriot Act conflicts with our Protection of Privacy act in British Columbia.

I also do not like some of the pricing of cloud storage. You get some space for free for 2 years and then you have to pay after that. I'm wary when they give you something for free for this period of time and then I'm not sure what they charge afterwards. I don't like the feeling that they are trying to suck me in and once I am addicted, they would charge me through the nose or make me forget about cancelling this 2 years later and charge me without my knowing.
 
Not as much as I once was.

I keep certain files (financial, mostly) in a TrueCrypt volume stored in my Dropbox. Not the easiest thing to hack, so I am feeling all safe and warm and fuzzy and whatnot. Besides the password, you need to use another file (an image file buried on my HDD in my case) as part of the password protection scheme. No password and no picture and no entry.

Until some wanker cracks it; apparently, TC has been cracked.

I would suggest that you always assume whatever you put on-line will be available to the planet. Just assume it, even though it is not necessarily true. If you believe it, you will quite likely not want to keep important stuff online.

I am waiting for the proverbial show to drop. I gots me a feelin' that something will happen that makes me glad I keep only a few things on Dropbox.

I use Dropbox more as a conduit between devices and my trash home PC.
 
I use it for media files only and it seems to be fine for those things. I am weary of even having some of the stuff on my computer just for the fact that someone if wanted could hack into my stuff just as easily as the cloud. Like Bob I mostly use it as a conduit between devices.
 
Don't like the cloud at all. I don't like the idea of being at the mercy of an internet connection. What if Dropbox goes out of business, or it gets hacked and millions of files get deleted? Heck, I don't even like files, I like having stuff I can hold in my hands.
 
Gmash said:
Don't like the cloud at all. I don't like the idea of being at the mercy of an internet connection. What if Dropbox goes out of business, or it gets hacked and millions of files get deleted? Heck, I don't even like files, I like having stuff I can hold in my hands.
Click to expand...

With Dropbox, your files also remain on your computer, so you can always get to them even if there is no connection. Which can be good in the other direction: what happens if your PC goes "out of business," so to say?
 
Bob Maxey said:
With Dropbox, your files also remain on your computer, so you can always get to them even if there is no connection. Which can be good in the other direction: what happens if your PC goes "out of business," so to say?
Click to expand...
Good point.
 
There are plenty of better contracts for storing files on the Internet than all of the various entities calling themselves "the cloud". All it takes is a little shopping. IMO those who are too lazy to look for the deal they want get what they deserve when something made up to look like a free lunch lets them down.

If it's that important, colo your own file server. Or get a safe deposit box. Or learn steganography. Or all of the above. "Cloud" is just a marketing gimmick, not some sort of institution. We can live without it.
 
I'll tell you why I love Dropbox. No more worrying about where to upload files when I am out and about. Every file goes to the same DB folder and Belvedere automatically puts them in proper folders. Or did before I jumped ship and went with Linux.

I am looking for a replacement for Belvedere this afternoon.
 
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