this post was submitted on 27 Dec 2023
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Privacy

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Edit 1 :

@[email protected].

If you’re fed up with companies fucking you over there’s an alternative.

There software called Nextcloud which you can run on a server which works in comparable ways as Onedrive/Google Drive/Dropbox/etc. works.

You could host it yourself on a server if you know how.

If you’re not familiar with forwarding ports or setting static IP adresses you can rent some server space from Hetzner where Nextcloud is included.

Edit 2 :

@[email protected]

I’m totally in favor with your post, but not everyone is willing to self-host or is capable of doing it. So I recommendation would be and one that I’m currently using, is when uploading a file to these cloud services encrypt your files. I’m using #cryptomator, but I’m sure there are other alternatives, like #rclone. There is also #veracrypt, but to my understanding, is not great for cloud sync.

Cryptomator official website Quick youtube video in how to use cryptomator (3:51)

Cryptomator is open source and free, but only on desktop. To use the mobile version, you will have to pay. Here is a list of alternatives to cryptomator, if you are familiar with one, please share your knowledge.

Edit 3 :

@[email protected]

Don’t forget Syncthing, I always suggest it first since it doesn’t require a server or advanced knowledge to work.

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 8 months ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 14 points 8 months ago
[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago

Same, it's kind of a symbolic gesture since I apparently haven't used DB since 2018, but still, I cited them sharing files with AI companies as the reason.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Missing option that I use:

Free Google Drive mounted with rclone and then eCryptfs filesystem mounted on the Google Drive mountpoint.

I get the free space and Google only sees encrypted files.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I love you so much right now

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

😊 ☺️

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

not bad too, i will not edit the body with that because i think it can be against the ToS of Google, and if not and that's become a popular solution, that will be for sure in it then.

You can loose your account so easily with them, so its better to be "reliable" ^^

[–] [email protected] 28 points 8 months ago (1 children)

DropBox has been dead to me since 2014 when they put former US Sec. of State Condoleezza Rice on their board of directors.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

Even less shocking, this can’t be disabled in mobile browsers.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

Don't forget Syncthing, I always suggest it first since it doesn't require a server or advanced knowledge to work.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

Syncthing is great!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

Yeah true,
Holidays or not, I'm in 420 consumer mod, I don't think XD. I edit :p

[–] [email protected] 17 points 8 months ago

We need to move away from proprietary "cloud" solutions.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I do not see that option under the Dropbox settings.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 8 months ago (1 children)

They are not testing this for every account. But you should check your settings every so often.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 8 months ago

Or better yet just stop using dropbox.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

This feature is a thing if your account:

  • On Dropbox Professional, Essentials, Business, Business Plus, and some customers on Dropbox Standard and Advanced.
  • In countries with the preferred language set to English. Excluding Canada, the UK (United Kingdom), and countries within the EEA (European Economic Area).

Would recommend going through that article in general, this is yet another great example how people start to go nuts without understanding something.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 8 months ago (2 children)

The only real way to opt out of this shit is to start using a better cloud and nuke Dropbox from every computer you own

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago

If it's not open source and self hosted, I think it will probably turn out just the same as Dropbox. It's the power dynamic. Closed SaaS, on someone else's computers, is a very weak position. Not surprising when the relationship turns abusive.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

There is pCloud which is based in Switzerland which has mostly the same regulation as the EU. They specifically state that they won't use your data for commercial purposes. Until the company merges or gets bought I guess.

Ofc if it's not end-to-end encrypted and all open source and self hosted, you can't really be sure.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

They specifically state that they won’t use your data for commercial purposes. Until the company merges or gets bought I guess.

Which you won't hear about until after all the existing data has been scraped off the servers. The company, if bought, will be bought for the value of their data stores and whatever corporation purchases them will specifically want to keep the news quiet until after they've gotten their value out of the data store. Therefore this is a non-starter as you may as well just hand the info to Dropbox today.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I'm totally in favor with your post, but not everyone is willing to self-host or is capable of doing it. So I recommendation would be and one that I'm currently using, is when uploading a file to these cloud services encrypt your files. I'm using #cryptomator, but I'm sure there are other alternatives, like #rclone. There is also #veracrypt, but to my understanding, is not great for cloud sync.

Cryptomator official website
Quick youtube video in how to use cryptomator (3:51)

Cryptomator is open source and free, but only on desktop. To use the mobile version, you will have to pay. Here is a list of alternatives to cryptomator, if you are familiar with one, please share your knowledge.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago

Body of the post edited :),
Thanks for your input,

[–] [email protected] 10 points 8 months ago (1 children)

There's always Cryptomator too. VeraCrypt also works and syncs quickly.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

Yep, I have a decently large free dropbox account and just use Cryptomator to continue using it

[–] [email protected] 8 points 8 months ago

If you have to use cloud storage, encrypt the files before you upload them

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago

I never opted in, no DropBox, OneDrive nor GDrive.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago (1 children)

How is this legal? Isn't this a violation of copyright law at the very least, plus any other licenses that might apply to the files?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago

i think its a scenario well accepted within the terms of uses...

Recently those of OpenAi changed btw, and that's very interesting.. to read.
They sent the mail the night of Christmas if i'm not wrong lmaooooo

If laws were made for citizens, we would know for now 😆

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Why not just encrypt your data before uploading to the cloud?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago (2 children)

why return the problem on the user ?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago

Because if not this it will always be something else.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Users are responsible for their own privacy.

Having Open Source projects providing the tools for that is extremely important. But ultimately the responsibility lies in the users hands. End to End encryption is the way. My files should 100% be encrypted on my side, with private keys that I own and nobody else. :)

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

The problem with cryptomater in my mind is eventually with quantum computing the encryption will be cracked. Even if you delete the file its stored somwhere else in their backups. There will be a treasure of good information even if its 10 yearas from now to be harvested.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

encryption will be cracked

We don't know that yet.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

If you’re fed up with companies fucking you over there’s an alternative.

There software called Nextcloud which you can run on a server which works in comparable ways as Onedrive/Google Drive/Dropbox/etc. works.

You could host it yourself on a server if you know how.

If you’re not familiar with forwarding ports or setting static IP adresses you can rent some server space from Hetzner where Nextcloud is included.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

i've recently figured out how dynamic DNSs work, i am unstoppable.

now i just need to figure out how to encrypt traffic...

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

As is usual in these cases, this is not legal in the EU and they cannot "legally" do this. However they might still choose to take the risk or factor in the cost of litigation.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

I would recommend proton drive as a great replacement if you want something that doesn't need a server

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (3 children)

Self hosting isn't a solution to replace off site storage.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago (1 children)

you can have a nextcloud without self hosting.
But you will pay with money and not with your private content

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago

Yeah, I forget that sometImes.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

If you can self host, you can run a custom cloud instance.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

You can selfhost Syncthing without having a server, using your daily devices.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Which is great, but still does nothing for off-site storage.

You always have at least one off site backup of anything important. For most people, that's going to be some kind of cloud service. What you use to access that can vary a good bit (as someone reminded me, nextcloud services you can use rather than have it all be on site exist), but syncthing would require that you have someone else willing to have a device at their house, always connected, for it to be a viable pick this that aspect.

Don't get me wrong, syncthing is awesome, but it isn't a total solution by itself. Hell, my redundant off site backup is less hassle, tbh. I just swap out external drives when I visit my best friend. I take the most updated one, leave it and bring home the previous one from his place. It's always a little behind, but it isn't reliant on connectivity lol.

That's what I was getting at. If all of your backups are at the same place, physically, you don't actually have backups, you just have redundant copies. A backup that can be destroyed at the same time as other backups or the original isn't really a backup at all. It's good enough for a drive dying, but not for bigger events.

That's what I was getting at, I just forgot that nexcloud services exist.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

I use cryptomator with my cloud storage to encrypt all my files.

https://cryptomator.org/

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