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I used to support Chromebooks. Not anymore. Having every last bit of your data "in the cloud" has turned out to be a very dangerous concept, especially since Go

by salient 13y ago

I used to support Chromebooks. Not anymore. Having every last bit of your data "in the cloud" has turned out to be a very dangerous concept, especially since Google (and many other cloud providers) don't provide any kind of easy client-side encryption options before uploading the data to the "cloud".

irishmoss 13y ago
I was under the impression that documents stored under /Downloads/ or elsewhere in the file-system (when using dev-mode) are not uploaded to the "cloud".
- GioM 13y ago
  I can't tell if this is a poor attempt at a defense of the chromebook, or a solid instance of damning by faint praise.
jjindev 13y ago
In a multi-computer household you may want a computer (or many!) which specifically do not have your important information. (I don't even let my phone know my "real" email address.)
onosendai 13y ago
> especially since Google (and many other cloud providers) don't provide any kind of easy client-side encryption options That's like wishing printer manufacturers would provide an easy way to refill their ink cartridges. It will never happen because no company will knowingly undermine its own business model. Google's (and others') model is to access and mine as much of your own personal data as possible, so the idea that you're in sole control of it is anathema to their stated mission. It used to be that one was generally pretty well aware of exactly what data was handed over when using their services, since the interaction with them was carried out in a limited, well understood manner (browser window, gmail/search site). Since they now control the entire stack from the hardware up to the services, and for the most part the workings of the entire system are opaque, it's very easy to leak data you never intended to, which compounds nicely for them (and unfortunately for you) with their goal. So, in short, your data will never be safe if you hand it over to someone whose goal is to monetize it by being able to read it.

by salient 13y ago

irishmoss 13y ago

I was under the impression that documents stored under /Downloads/ or elsewhere in the file-system (when using dev-mode) are not uploaded to the "cloud".

GioM 13y ago
I can't tell if this is a poor attempt at a defense of the chromebook, or a solid instance of damning by faint praise.

jjindev 13y ago

In a multi-computer household you may want a computer (or many!) which specifically do not have your important information. (I don't even let my phone know my "real" email address.)

onosendai 13y ago

> especially since Google (and many other cloud providers) don't provide any kind of easy client-side encryption options That's like wishing printer manufacturers would provide an easy way to refill their ink cartridges. It will never happen because no company will knowingly undermine its own business model. Google's (and others') model is to access and mine as much of your own personal data as possible, so the idea that you're in sole control of it is anathema to their stated mission. It used to be that one was generally pretty well aware of exactly what data was handed over when using their services, since the interaction with them was carried out in a limited, well understood manner (browser window, gmail/search site). Since they now control the entire stack from the hardware up to the services, and for the most part the workings of the entire system are opaque, it's very easy to leak data you never intended to, which compounds nicely for them (and unfortunately for you) with their goal. So, in short, your data will never be safe if you hand it over to someone whose goal is to monetize it by being able to read it.