Headlines are screaming about hacking and surveillance. Despite this, Google and Apple keep urging us to load all our photos, and sometimes even more precious documents, in an online vault called the “cloud.” So, what’s a “cloud?”
Simple - It’s actually just a racks and racks of computer servers, connected at locations all over the world.Guru Asks: What could possibly go wrong with everyone storing personal data in an anonymous location online?
Heh, heh…………….Ai, yi, yi!!!
Scary example: last year Dropbox reset passwords on millions of account in response to a 2012 problem. Another scary example: Ever been “phished?” Anyone with an email address is at war with, who were behind a celeb photo cloud leak in 2014. Nothing is safe from hackers.
A lesser-known cloud choice is enticing: Store stuff on an external hard drive at home, but access it online from anywhere. This is known as a “personal cloud”. Guru can advise on some products to set this up (Western Digital or Seagate hard file using your own Internet connection – no monthly fees and lots of space for less than $200). Lime Ultra and Apollo are simple alternatives. Sadly, there are private cloud concerns, too: while Google or Apple provide security , with a private cloud, you are solely responsible for keeping the hackers away. And, of course, you have to keep that drive from failing, or risk losing important data.
The Guru knows that the most precious documents are tax files. If they are encrypted, ala Carbonite backup over the Internet, it can be trusted. More cautious folk may only want to back them up on a personal cloud. Security and privacy is a personal choice—the Guru says, be careful.
