FTC Worries About Consumers, Cloud Data, and Privacy

pcause writes "Ars Techina has a nice article about the FTC's concern that consumers don't understand the implications of storing their data in the cloud. From the article: 'Data is now sitting on servers outside of your control, where it can be accessed far more easily by Google itself, hackers, and law enforcement than it ever could if kept within the device. Once data passes over the network, it gets much easier to access in realtime; once it is stored on a remote server, it gets much easier to access at any time. And those are just the phone settings. Google also has access to search history data, anything stored in Google Docs or Spreadsheets, complete schedules stored in Google Calendar, and recent Maps searches. Combine them all, and companies like Google become one-stop shops for authorities looking for personal information.' Do you think the average consumer even has a clue about this issue?"

Comments

We'll be right back after this from the cloud.

[LostCluster]

Most cloud services these days are funded by companies who have ad interests too. Google has the web's largest ad network, Amazon loves to sell things, Microsoft has an ad platform too. Will what you post on MySpace suddenly influence which ad you see when you're watching Fox? Should it?

I was just thinking about this today

[t0qer]

My friend that works as google gave me a droid G3 phone for christmas. I guess they all got the nexus this year so he was giving me last years present. It doesn't have a SIM card in it, and I don't have it activated on a cell network. I don't really have any intentions on doing so either.

I let my 4 year old daughter play with it. There's a coloring book application called Zebra Paint. Today though I hear the phone talking.

"Hello? Heloo? Emergency 911"

I guess even without a phone plan, you can still use these things for 911?

I politely told the 911 operator what happened. He told me to be careful letting my girl play with it and that was that.

Scary thing though, this thing has GPS. If someone really wanted to track me down they could. Even without a cell phone plan or sim card in the device.

Re:They can know about you, do you know about them

[Lunix Nutcase]

Especially when they don't have to worry about any backlash from their customers as the government will just give them immunity from any suits after the fact.

use encryption

[timmarhy]

strong encryption means they can't access it no matter where the data is. why are we even talking about this?

Re:They can know about you, do you know about them

[truthsearch]

A lot less people have (legal) access to my house than Google's servers. Maybe you live in a commune, but I don't!

What about private companies?

[bezenek]

Side note: The article should have mentioned gmail.

Companies change. Look at Sun Microsystems. Suppose Google ends up needing money. What is going to stop them from allowing me / your mother in law / the king of Sweden from paying to dig through all of the data they have related to you? This might not be done directly through Google, but through a "nice, responsible company" which has paid for access to Google's data. If Google makes the data available to other companies, who knows what those entities might do with it?

We need legislation and a way to verify compliance!

Of course, it would be good if the legislation also protected our data from the Department of Homeland Security, but I do not expect lawmakers to be able to do the right thing there anytime soon.

-Todd

Google's domination makes this much worse.

[doug20r]

Google reserves their right to suspend services for any reason in most of their terms and they do exercise this right by suspending people for life from the use of their services. Becoming dependant on Google's services, or being dependant on a market they dominate, leads to a large penalty and damage when services are suspended. Google will suspend services based on their suspicion alone, and clearly use data collected to make decisions. Their investigations are held in secret, based on secret information, giving the victim no chance to defend it, and this is not fair treatment. It has become so bad that employers are asking job applicants if they have ever been suspended from Google services to avoid the risk that Google will suspend the employers services. Clearly something needs to be done, but what can they really do?

No.

[JustShootMe]

The average consumer cares about nothing more than having their immediate wants gratified. Notice I didn't say *needs*. And they are not willing to put in the effort to understand the consequences of their actions, either due to unintentional or willful ignorance.

This is not every consumer, but the average one.

There is no other possible way that I can explain American Idol. ;)

Re:Would somebody think of the future of our data?

[Brian Gordon]

Is there any way to write data and then 10 years later get that same data back?

/me glances over at the bookshelf.

Yep, still there.

Re:No.

[causality]

"Do you think the average consumer even has a clue about this issue?" No. And they don't care, and can't be made to care.

... until something happens to them, personally. They just don't believe in prevention, that's all.

Re:Don't you want target ads?

[Andorin]

I would rather see ads for products I'm interested in than things I'm not.

I'd rather see no ads at all.