4 ms·

YepYepYepYepYep. The number of times I've had to bail someone out because they wrecked their computer and I had to pull their HDD/SSD is a _lot_.

andix 4y ago
I know, but this scenario may soon be in the past. With smartphones and also ARM macs there is no feasible way to directly access the storage. And at least with apple devices encryption is the standard. It’s not even possible to run them unencrypted anymore.
- crazygringo 4y ago
  But the whole point of the article is the cloud analogy. If they didn't encrypt their cloud content but lost their password, it's recoverable, the same as from an unencrypted hard drive. If they encrypt it, they're SOL.
_Algernon_ 4y ago
Their issue wasn't encryption, it was that they didn't have backups (of the data and/or encryption key). Data without backups is already lost, you just don't know it yet.
- Shared404 4y ago
  That doesn't help me when J. Random user comes for help. If people are doing things right, everything should be encrypted. "Average users" don't do things right. I hate saying it, but experience has played this out for me time and time again.
  - _Algernon_ 4y ago
    Point is that even without encryption they had a ticking time bomb on their hands. They would have shown up with the exact same problem, just later. Instead of discouraging encryption, use it as a way to encourage backups in the future.
    - Shared404 4y ago
      You knowthat, and I know that. But I think you're overestimating the capabilities of an average user. I'd be comfortable guess 60%+ of users don't know how to manually copy files to an external drive with any sort of reliability. ETA: Unless you're willing to spend three or four hours a user teaching them, forever become their personal IT service, and recognize that there's _still_ a non-neglible chance they copy the wrong thing, it's not always worth it.
- ikiris 4y ago
  If their drive had been encrypted, their problem would have been encryption...

andix 4y ago

I know, but this scenario may soon be in the past. With smartphones and also ARM macs there is no feasible way to directly access the storage. And at least with apple devices encryption is the standard. It’s not even possible to run them unencrypted anymore.

crazygringo 4y ago
But the whole point of the article is the cloud analogy. If they didn't encrypt their cloud content but lost their password, it's recoverable, the same as from an unencrypted hard drive. If they encrypt it, they're SOL.

_Algernon_ 4y ago

Their issue wasn't encryption, it was that they didn't have backups (of the data and/or encryption key). Data without backups is already lost, you just don't know it yet.

Shared404 4y ago
That doesn't help me when J. Random user comes for help. If people are doing things right, everything should be encrypted. "Average users" don't do things right. I hate saying it, but experience has played this out for me time and time again.
- _Algernon_ 4y ago
  Point is that even without encryption they had a ticking time bomb on their hands. They would have shown up with the exact same problem, just later. Instead of discouraging encryption, use it as a way to encourage backups in the future.
  - Shared404 4y ago
    You knowthat, and I know that. But I think you're overestimating the capabilities of an average user. I'd be comfortable guess 60%+ of users don't know how to manually copy files to an external drive with any sort of reliability. ETA: Unless you're willing to spend three or four hours a user teaching them, forever become their personal IT service, and recognize that there's _still_ a non-neglible chance they copy the wrong thing, it's not always worth it.
ikiris 4y ago
If their drive had been encrypted, their problem would have been encryption...