Cloud storage

Cloud storage

Cloud storage is a model of computer data storage in which the digital data is stored on large storage units belonging to someone else, said to be impersonally on "the cloud". The physical storage spans multiple servers (sometimes in multiple locations), and the physical environment is typically owned and managed by a hosting company.

Just about any tool that helps us access our data or synchronize our files between multiple devices such as phones, tablets, and PCs uses cloud storage.

Official narrative

Cloud storage makes sharing and storing data easier. Instead of having to back up your data on physical storage devices like USB drives or external hard drives, cloud storage frees up space on your device, and provides enhanced security and privacy protections compared to many traditional storage methods. There’s no need to be hesitant in uploading your files to the cloud out of fear that your data will be accessed by third parties. Many cloud storage providers have strict privacy policies in place to protect your data.

US Cloud Act

Under the 2018 CLOUD Act, all U.S. cloud service providers, from Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, to Amazon -- when ordered -- have to provide American authorities with data stored on their servers, regardless of where it's housed. With those providers controlling much of the cloud market in Europe, the act could potentially give the US the right to access information on large swaths of the region's people and companies.

The bill also allows the US President to enter into "executive agreements" with foreign governments that would allow each government to acquire users' data stored in the other country, without following each other's privacy laws.

Microsoft decrypting encrypted files

According to a May 2023 report by the YouTube channel Mental Outlaw, Microsoft decrypts encrypted files that users store in its cloud services. Security researcher Andrew Brandt discovered that all files transferred to or stored on Microsoft's cloud systems, including OneDrive and SharePoint, are scanned by Microsoft, even if they are encrypted. Brandt works in malware analysis, where he receives malware samples to analyze how they work and defuse future attacks. However, when he tried to send password-protected zip files with malware patterns to his colleagues via SharePoint, Microsoft marked and deleted the files from the secure encrypted files in his OneDrive account, even though the files were inaccessible without password-protected access. This suggests that Microsoft is capable of obtaining users' passwords and decrypting encrypted files within its cloud services. It's unclear exactly how Microsoft decrypts the files, but Brandt's findings suggest that even encryption may not protect the files stored in Microsoft's cloud services.

Google

In March 2024, American Romance author, K. Renee lost access to her Google Drive account which denied her access to her work on Google Docs. Renee lost access to over 200,000 words because Google found her content inappropriate. The romance author known for randy romance novels lost access to her content after Google flagged it as 'inappropriate'. Google says that users can always request an appeal if they believe their content was flagged in error.

Wasabi

In December 2023, the cloud provider Wasabi closed the account of Covid dissident Steve Kirsch, just after he released data from a New Zealand whistleblower.

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