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I hear you. Perhaps I'm overly paranoid. I don't think so though! Many people (eg. http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/5-online-privacy-tips-from-edward-snowden.html

I hear you. Perhaps I'm overly paranoid. I don't think so though! Many people (eg. http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/5-online-privacy-tips-from-edward-snowden.html http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/5-online-privacy-tips-from-edwa...) have asked Google to clarify their policy in this regard, but the "generic" TOS you agreed to is the best they could come up with. The trouble with using soft language is that anything goes. Data monetization goes way beyond serving relevant ads. While companies like Sync.com encrypt your data end-to-end (making this a non-issue - shameless plug I know - you should check us out though), if you do continue to use Google Drive you may want to investigate third-party Google Drive encryption software such as https://www.boxcryptor.com/en https://www.boxcryptor.com/en (I hate to recommend a competitor, but it's better than nothing). I'm making a strong statement, because I value my privacy.

IanCal 10y ago
> I hear you. Perhaps I'm overly paranoid. I don't think so though! I think perhaps there's a misunderstanding here. I'm less concerned with your point of "google might be reading my files", that's a perfectly valid concern. That's different to making the statement "google are monetising your files, so pay for my service instead". > I'm making a strong statement, because I value my privacy. You are making a strong statement about a competitor that I'm not sure you can back up. That is not the same as valuing your own privacy. Not using google drive because you aren't sure what they're doing is fine.
- jasonsync 10y ago
  I wasn't trying to imply that paying for Google drive would eliminate the data monetization model. In fact, the terms of service appear to be identical for free or paid if you're using Google Drive for personal use, so perhaps that's where the disconnect is. However, it's interesting to note that Google mentions that they are willing to negotiate the terms of service for businesses using the paid Apps service: note that additional terms may apply for negotiated Google Apps agreements. https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2450387?hl=en https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2450387?hl=en In the case of HIPAA compliance for healthcare, or data privacy compliance requirements for industries that store files with personally identifiable information (PII) in the cloud, I wonder if Google would amend the TOS to include server-side encryption, or other safeguards, which would mitigate the issue. This is something I will investigate further, as I'm not sure what the answer is. Regardless of what a Google Product Manager states (marketing rhetoric or current policy), Google's legally binding terms of service are the only terms that matter at the end of the day: Our automated systems analyze your content (including emails) to provide you personally relevant product features, such as customized search results, tailored advertising, and spam and malware detection. This analysis occurs as the content is sent, received, and when it is stored. It would be great if Google updated their terms to be clearer. In the mean time I'll take their word on it.

IanCal 10y ago

> I hear you. Perhaps I'm overly paranoid. I don't think so though! I think perhaps there's a misunderstanding here. I'm less concerned with your point of "google might be reading my files", that's a perfectly valid concern. That's different to making the statement "google are monetising your files, so pay for my service instead". > I'm making a strong statement, because I value my privacy. You are making a strong statement about a competitor that I'm not sure you can back up. That is not the same as valuing your own privacy. Not using google drive because you aren't sure what they're doing is fine.

jasonsync 10y ago
I wasn't trying to imply that paying for Google drive would eliminate the data monetization model. In fact, the terms of service appear to be identical for free or paid if you're using Google Drive for personal use, so perhaps that's where the disconnect is. However, it's interesting to note that Google mentions that they are willing to negotiate the terms of service for businesses using the paid Apps service: note that additional terms may apply for negotiated Google Apps agreements. https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2450387?hl=en https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2450387?hl=en In the case of HIPAA compliance for healthcare, or data privacy compliance requirements for industries that store files with personally identifiable information (PII) in the cloud, I wonder if Google would amend the TOS to include server-side encryption, or other safeguards, which would mitigate the issue. This is something I will investigate further, as I'm not sure what the answer is. Regardless of what a Google Product Manager states (marketing rhetoric or current policy), Google's legally binding terms of service are the only terms that matter at the end of the day: Our automated systems analyze your content (including emails) to provide you personally relevant product features, such as customized search results, tailored advertising, and spam and malware detection. This analysis occurs as the content is sent, received, and when it is stored. It would be great if Google updated their terms to be clearer. In the mean time I'll take their word on it.