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0 pointsamf124y ago0 comments

> 1. copy to hard disk > 2. buy a new drive every year and copy it forward > 3. store a copy with relatives

Yep, always good to have a local copy.

> Note that a cloud provider: >1. can shut off your access at any time, by accident or on purpose, and you have no recourse

Absolutely, which is why steps 1-3 help here.

> 2. will sell your data to anyone at any time

Not true. Neither Google, Amazon or Microsoft do this. The current privacy policies state that. If you want to be extra cautious, you can create a cloud storage account or an account with personal domain and their privacy policies are even strong. Imaging Google or Microsoft "selling" a business's images in Photos or Drive.

> 3. will give it to any government for the asking

Unfortunately, true.

> 4. will leak it to any hacker

Will leak it is a bit too strong and harsh. 'Could be leaked' is better. Although, I have a basic trust in their security as opposed to not even using their services for this fear. Of course, I would never upload any 'private' or 'confidential' images there.

> 5. will allow employees of said cloud provider to browse your data

Again, false. 'Will' here is too strong. None of the employees have direct access to your data -- neither emails, nor images. And if you want to be even more confident, go for Google Suite or Microsoft 365 account and this is guaranteed to not happen.

> 6. will scan it to use it to sell you ads

True, but you could mitigate it by using the paid tier accounts.

> 7. will scan it looking for anything they don't approve of this week, and take "corrective action"

No arguments here -- although the paid tier accounts should guarantee this does not happen.

> 8. if you've got terabytes, good luck trying to download it

The better solution is to keep a local copy using steps 1-3 and also upload them to "your chosen service".

0 comments

WalterBright4y ago

> None of the employees have direct access to your data

I've seen enough reports of employees charged with viewing customers' private data to be skeptical that this can't be done. Also, people keep finding security flaws. If outsiders can penetrate the system and download terabytes, it ought to be even easier for insiders.

> Will leak it is a bit too strong and harsh

Not at all. I used to design airplane parts. The principle is not "could it fail" but "when it fails, how do we ensure the plane won't crash?" It's a completely different mindset.

> guaranteed to not happen

If you say that in the airplane design business, you'll get your knuckles thwacked with a ruler. It is always when it happens, ...

> current privacy policies

Which can change at any time.

I clearly judge risk differently than you do. My approach comes from 3 years of designing airplane parts. I wish this approach was taught more often.

I know that if my data is not in the cloud, it will not be compromised by the inevitable failure of the cloud to protect it.

amf12OP4y ago

> Not at all. I used to design airplane parts. The principle is not "could it fail" but "when it fails, how do we ensure the plane won't crash?" It's a completely different mindset.

Right, but your analogy is akin to saying "I won't travel by any Boeing plane because the plane could crash". Different risks are fine as long as the mitigation plan isn't "I will never travel by planes". Just my 2 cents since I don't design airplane parts.

> If you say that in the airplane design business, you'll get your knuckles thwacked with a ruler. It is always when it happens, ...

Sure, different industries, different risks. The risk in this context isn't death. I agree "guaranteed" was a wrong choice of word here, however I have basic trust in their enterprise products to know my data is safer and secure than doing my own thing.

> Which can change at any time.

Which is when you can decide if you still want to continue -- or purge your data (since I assume there is a backup).

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