Dropbox Says It Will Pass Your Files To Law Enforcement If Asked

[engine]

Dropbox Says It Will Pass Your Files To Law Enforcement If Asked [businessinsider.com]

This is nothing groundbreaking, but Dropbox has updated its security Terms of Service to say that if the government asks, they will have to decrpyt user's files and turn them over.

That's standard practice for any online storage service from Gmail to Amazon, and shouldn't affect the average user unless they're doing something wrong.

A reminder about cloud computing. As the story indicates, there's nothing new, but it is a reminder to read their terms of service.

[piatkow]

and shouldn't affect the average user unless they're doing something wrong.

Depends what they mean by "wrong". If you are storing your data in a different country your data will be covered by a totally different set of laws to those that you run your business by.

[ergophobe]

I just find Dropbox totally disingenuous. They wrote their product description to lead everyone to believe they had some encryption scheme and nobody could even read your files if you had them on DB and then it turns out they meant by *policy* not by *design*

I'm pretty pissed of at them and am going to demand my money back.



Oh wait, nevermind. I'm using the free version. I am pissed though and may write and threaten to cancel my free account if they don't bend over backwards to satisfy me. I'll let you know how that goes.

[lucy24]

shouldn't affect the average user unless they're doing something wrong

My goodness, that sounds like an argument against the 4th Amendment doesn't it. If you don't have anything to hide, why should you care if anyone goes through your drawers?

Possibly dropbox is hazy on the difference between a subpoena and a conviction.

[phranque]

"If you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place." [video.cnbc.com]

[walkman]

and shouldn't affect the average user unless they're doing something wrong.

St^%$&^%&^ F&^$^%$E&*^& . How about unless the government, or divorce lawyers think that you may be doing something wrong? This reminds me of Google's attitude...if you don't want it public maybe you shouldn't be visiting that site or run that search (paraphrasing their former CEO, who wanted HIS campaign donations removed from serps.)

All email, and probably files, over 180 days old is considered abandoned legally and FBI can get it with a letter, no need to make a case for them. So keep that in mind. [lawyerist.com...]

Can you encrypt first and then upload? Double encryption?

[ergophobe]

phranque - I don't have anything that I don't want anyone to know. I have things that I only want *specific* people to know and I want to know who those people are ;-)

Anyway, love the link. Shocking idiocy (who is that in the interview?).

If the FBI, KGB or Stasi got access to my stuff, it would likely be death by boredom, but as a matter of constitutional principle, I like to make it hard for 'em.

Can you encrypt first and then upload?

Spider Oak is basically Dropbox with true 256-bit AES encryption, client side, only you have the key. Lose the key and nobody can get your files back. There's also a third-party add-on for Dropbox (whose name escapes me at the moment) that lets you encrypt before uploading.

[Demaestro]

I disagree that the only time you should be worried is if you are doing something wrong, but I understand why they would say that.

It seems like privacy in the USA is becoming less and less important to the Gov, and security, or at least the perception of security is becoming more and more important.

In Canada it is becoming increasingly common in RFQ docs to specify Canadian hosting as a requirement, sometimes the request is related to the fact they have some grants or bursaries and it is the programs that require it....... but more and more the US patriot act is listed as the reason to not host there.

These are not people who have something to hide, nor are they doing anything wrong. They just value privacy.

[phranque]

who is that in the interview?

the recently-ex-CEO of google...

[ergophobe]

That's what I thought, but he looked different. But sounded as idiotic as in other presentations I've seen, so I figured...

[Leosghost]

but he looked different

some say he casts no shadow at noonday .

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

Law enforcement has access to absolutely everything you do and more. I wish that was a conspiracy theory but post 9-11 someone IS always recording your everything, digital and real, in case they want to get in your grille later on. Thankfully most of us just aren't that important.