I’m sure you’ve seen the rumblings of MegaUpload being take down this month. Despite your perspective on the shake-down, it brings some serious questions and implications as we look at the long-term use of “The Cloud.”
Up until now, cloud storage was all butterflies and rainbows. I was left without any doubts.
Until, now.
Legitimate users of MegaUpload currently have no access to their files and are at risk of losing all of their data.
We’ve been using web based email for so long, the idea of losing all your data seems far-fetched, but it could happen all the same.
Here are the details on the MegaUpload fiasco:
Legitimate user data stored with seized file-sharing service MegaUpload is safe from deletion until at least mid-February, the lawyer for the piracy-accused site has confirmed, though there’s still no way for users to actually access it. Having been taken down by US federal prosecutors earlier this month, the longevity of MegaUpload’s database was in question after investigators said hosting companies could begin deleting data from Thursday, February 2. That’s been avoided, MegaUpload lawyer Ira Rothken told TorrentFreak, for “at least” two weeks more.
Imagine if this happened to Apple or Google?
Last year sometime, I couldn’t log into my email for almost a day. Something had gone haywire and Google was very sorry, but no matter how sorry they were, I couldn’t get to my emails.
The same could happen to your cloud.
Solution
So, how do you ensure your data is safe?
As much as I like the idea of moving away from physical hard drives, it’s your best bet. The cloud is awesome and a great way to share files and is the perfect solution for those jumping from desktop to mobile to laptop. Keep the cloud, but when it comes to backing up and making sure your data is safe and secure, use a hard drive to backup your files.
How safe is you data?
[via Slash Gear | Image via ars technica]
Raoul Snyman says
*twitch* *twitch* The phrase is “foolproof”, not “full proof”
As for cloud stuff, I don’t use it beyond what is absolutely necessary. The only cloud stuff I will use is that which I can host myself… which is only one of them, called ownCloud (if you haven’t heard of it, check it out!!). My data stays on my devices where I have complete control over it. I don’t care what Dropbox says about everything being encrypted – if it’s not on my computers or my servers, I can’t control it.
Eric Dye says
Stop twitching! Fixed it. Bleh.
I’ll be sure to check out ownCloud!
Daniel Berman says
I have been intrigued by OwnCloud, I just don’t have access right now to more than run of the mill shared hosting. Is there any install guide floating around for type of environment?
I have thought about hosting on a personal server at home, but I have been unable to get a domain to resolve to a non-static IP through Charter Communications’ network. Besides hosting a website on their network is against their TOS anyway.
Raoul Snyman says
At its heart, ownCloud is still just PHP and a database. Almost all web hosting supports this, even the Windows hosting. For the more advanced stuff (WebDav, etc) you will need your own server, but getting a server from Linode or SlideHost is pretty cheap.
Eric Dye says
This looks interesting. Going to check it out.
Mickey says
Most of mine stuff is backed up locally automatically; Dropbox and Evernote in particular. The parts of my life in Google (Gmail, Calendar, etc) are in that danger zone. I keep my password very long and complex and do other things to prevent hacks, but situations like the one you describe are always a worry.
Eric Dye says
Same here. I’m rethinking how deep I want to go with Google Docs, now.
Mickey says
I’m not too concerned, but it’s something I think about. They’re large enough that if they were to completely shut down overnight, my Google Docs would be the least of my worries.
I greatly appreciate the two-factor authentication that they offer, as it makes me feel much more secure (even though it can be a pain to use).
Eric Dye says
Seems impossible for them to go down, doesn’t it!?!
Joanna says
I think it would be extremely unlikely for Google services to go completely down without warning. You would be more at risk from your individual account getting hacked.
To stay on the safe side with Google docs, I regularly download the entirety of my google docs account. You can do that easily by checking the select all documents box then selecting “download” from the “more”. It then downloads all your files in one zip file.
After doing that I store a copy of the backup zip file on my computer and in drop box
Mickey says
Joanna — That’s a great tip! Doing it right now…
Eric Dye says
Good idea. 🙂
Steve says
Speaking of the cloud, I think there’s another consideration for churches – privacy. This is particularly relevant for churches outside the U.S., who host data in the U.S., because of the Patriot Act.
I’ve recently written about this here: http://www.communicatejesus.com/2012/01/privacy-legislation-the-cloud-and-australian-churches/
Eric Dye says
Good call. Good post. You should guest post for us sometime.