One of the new rages in computing is the "cloud." I don't understand it completely, but I do know there are a lot of services out there that offer consumers the ability to store their data, music, images and whatever else in this virtual world of servers and storage banks. One of the chief selling points that I've seen is that a consumer can access their information using different devices and while in different locations.
On the one hand, I can understand why this newish service attracts a lot of people. So many constantly are on the go and I bet it's tough to utilize the same software on a multiplicity of devises. (I wouldn't know this personally because I don't own a cell phone, IPod, Blackberry or anything other than a desktop computer.)
So, while I have read that people are signing up in droves to utilize various "clouds," I am in no rush to do so. Why? Because of privacy concerns! What with the misnamed Patriot Act being renewed for another 4 years as well as many other laws, regulations and presidential signing statements, storing one's information online seems to me like an open invitation for the government surreptitiously to browse your data.
It's not that I necessarily have something to hide, it is more that it's not any of their damn business!! That's why I utilize an anonymous proxy to travel around the web. That's why I password-protect my computer. That's why I use Linux as opposed to Windows.
Unless the government has a substantive legal reason to believe that I am breaking the law, what I do on my own time should be of no concern to them.
On the one hand, I can understand why this newish service attracts a lot of people. So many constantly are on the go and I bet it's tough to utilize the same software on a multiplicity of devises. (I wouldn't know this personally because I don't own a cell phone, IPod, Blackberry or anything other than a desktop computer.)
So, while I have read that people are signing up in droves to utilize various "clouds," I am in no rush to do so. Why? Because of privacy concerns! What with the misnamed Patriot Act being renewed for another 4 years as well as many other laws, regulations and presidential signing statements, storing one's information online seems to me like an open invitation for the government surreptitiously to browse your data.
It's not that I necessarily have something to hide, it is more that it's not any of their damn business!! That's why I utilize an anonymous proxy to travel around the web. That's why I password-protect my computer. That's why I use Linux as opposed to Windows.
Unless the government has a substantive legal reason to believe that I am breaking the law, what I do on my own time should be of no concern to them.
While it's true that your thoughts (and files) should be your own, the best use of cloud services is for shared files.
ReplyDeleteFor example, suppose that you have 15,000 MP3s and you store them "in the cloud" with a service whose SLA isn't entirely private.
In this case, it's just music. There's not much (other than the actual choice of songs) which defines you.
If 45,000 people have one of the same songs, it makes sense that their service could identify that the file is identical and only store it once.
The same goes for movies, ebooks etc.
Unshared (private) cloud services lose that advantage - but obviously there's a need for them to be private.
We (My company in Australia) can't host our stuff on Google Docs because the US Patriot act provides access outside our boundaries.
If google gets an Australian server (IN Australia and subject to Australian law), then we'll reconsider.
Until then it's a minefield with both benefits and risks.