7 ms·

Do you keep your money in a bank, or under your mattress? I think you're underestimating the security of Google's servers and overestimating the security of yo

by paul 17y ago

Do you keep your money in a bank, or under your mattress? I think you're underestimating the security of Google's servers and overestimating the security of your own computer.

gloob 17y ago
All the security in the world won't protect Google's servers from a subpeona, and no black hat on the planet can break into my wallet without being in immediate physical proximity to me.
- stanleydrew 17y ago
  Are you suggesting your personal computer is somehow immune to subpoenas?
  - orangecat 17y ago
    Your personal computer is less likely to be compromised as part of a fishing expedition, like when the feds tried to get Google to turn over an entire week's worth of search history to help them defend of one of their "for the children" laws. I could easily see them demanding access to all Google Docs containing certain keywords.
    - ErrantX 17y ago
      > I could easily see them demanding access to all Google Docs containing certain keywords. IANAL but I have experience in this rough area. That is pure scare mongering and I don't think there is even the remotest possibility they would get away with it. If they even tried Google would wrap them in counter-defence so fast it would be funny. Also, for the record, your search history may be criminally suggestive but it is not something they could use to actually prosecute you (this is something I do know about). They still need a subpeona on your personal machine :) Fishing is expensive; forces tend not to do it too much (despite what the politico's want to suggest otherwise). :)
- ErrantX 17y ago
  Can you resist a subpeona on your wallet? This is somewhat a non-argument because subpeona's are easy to serve against you now. THe argument that they might be easier to serve on a company with no emotional attachment to you is countered by the fact that they have a much much bigger legal pocket and a desire to keep a "good" image to the public (by refusing banal subpoena's). As to: > and no black hat on the planet can break into my wallet without being in immediate physical proximity to me. Maybe not. But any old pickpocket on the street can. Indeed there are more people that can steal your wallet than can break into Google's servers :)
  - ericd 17y ago
    But every person who can break into a server can affect orders of magnitude more people. Expected value may still be less, just saying.
ph0rque 17y ago
Interesting... what is the online equivalent of interest?
- abstractbill 17y ago
  Data mining maybe? I store all my data in the cloud, and then services derive more and more data from it. The longer you keep your stuff in the could, the more derived data it accumulates.
  - ph0rque 17y ago
    Right, but what's the benefit to the user?
    - cakesy 17y ago
      You mean apart from the obvious, your data is safe, backed up, and available from anywhere, not just your basement?
    - jimmyjim 17y ago
      The convenience of having it available anytime anywhere.
- paul 17y ago
  What's the banking equivalent of interest? My checking account pays something like 0.002%. I keep my money there for security and convenience, just like my Gmail.
knweiss 17y ago
Also, what if the data could be stored encrypted with only the owner knowing the password? This would be all right with me then. Of course, this would raise the storage cost because the service provider can't use deduplication on all the user's data. The storage provider also would be unable to use data mining on the data. Thus, it probably could only be offered as a payed service.

by paul 17y ago

Do you keep your money in a bank, or under your mattress? I think you're underestimating the security of Google's servers and overestimating the security of your own computer.

gloob 17y ago

All the security in the world won't protect Google's servers from a subpeona, and no black hat on the planet can break into my wallet without being in immediate physical proximity to me.

stanleydrew 17y ago
Are you suggesting your personal computer is somehow immune to subpoenas?
- orangecat 17y ago
  Your personal computer is less likely to be compromised as part of a fishing expedition, like when the feds tried to get Google to turn over an entire week's worth of search history to help them defend of one of their "for the children" laws. I could easily see them demanding access to all Google Docs containing certain keywords.
  - ErrantX 17y ago
    > I could easily see them demanding access to all Google Docs containing certain keywords. IANAL but I have experience in this rough area. That is pure scare mongering and I don't think there is even the remotest possibility they would get away with it. If they even tried Google would wrap them in counter-defence so fast it would be funny. Also, for the record, your search history may be criminally suggestive but it is not something they could use to actually prosecute you (this is something I do know about). They still need a subpeona on your personal machine :) Fishing is expensive; forces tend not to do it too much (despite what the politico's want to suggest otherwise). :)
ErrantX 17y ago
Can you resist a subpeona on your wallet? This is somewhat a non-argument because subpeona's are easy to serve against you now. THe argument that they might be easier to serve on a company with no emotional attachment to you is countered by the fact that they have a much much bigger legal pocket and a desire to keep a "good" image to the public (by refusing banal subpoena's). As to: > and no black hat on the planet can break into my wallet without being in immediate physical proximity to me. Maybe not. But any old pickpocket on the street can. Indeed there are more people that can steal your wallet than can break into Google's servers :)
- ericd 17y ago
  But every person who can break into a server can affect orders of magnitude more people. Expected value may still be less, just saying.

ph0rque 17y ago

Interesting... what is the online equivalent of interest?

abstractbill 17y ago
Data mining maybe? I store all my data in the cloud, and then services derive more and more data from it. The longer you keep your stuff in the could, the more derived data it accumulates.
- ph0rque 17y ago
  Right, but what's the benefit to the user?
  - cakesy 17y ago
    You mean apart from the obvious, your data is safe, backed up, and available from anywhere, not just your basement?
  - jimmyjim 17y ago
    The convenience of having it available anytime anywhere.
paul 17y ago
What's the banking equivalent of interest? My checking account pays something like 0.002%. I keep my money there for security and convenience, just like my Gmail.

knweiss 17y ago

Also, what if the data could be stored encrypted with only the owner knowing the password? This would be all right with me then. Of course, this would raise the storage cost because the service provider can't use deduplication on all the user's data. The storage provider also would be unable to use data mining on the data. Thus, it probably could only be offered as a payed service.