Popular cloud file syncing service Dropbox, much beloved by TUAW, has been in the news lately. On the one hand, it announced it had hit a new high of 25 million users, which is a number which is both pleasingly big and pleasingly round. On the other hand, it has been the target of some strongly worded criticism for its security features — or, more accurately, problems with them.
The most recent of these criticisms arose from an update to the Dropbox Terms of Service to state that if the government asks, it will hand over your files:
As set forth in our privacy policy, and in compliance with United States law, Dropbox cooperates with United States law enforcement when it receives valid legal process, which may require Dropbox to provide the contents of your private Dropbox. In these cases, Dropbox will remove Dropbox’s encryption from the files before providing them to law enforcement.
This isn’t terribly surprising, although on first glance it might sound awful. Consider the alternatives. If Dropbox receive a legally binding subpoena in a criminal case demanding the release of data, what else could anyone expect them to do except hand the data over, right?
Continue reading Dropbox under fire for security concerns
Dropbox under fire for security concerns originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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