The Cloud Service, Let Me Reveal the Details
The cloud. Every phone, every account, every app offers the same thing — upload to the cloud. Photos, documents, contacts, notes. Convenient, always at hand, you won’t lose it. But let us examine how this really works. What is the cloud? It is simply someone else’s computer. Not an abstract «cloud» — but a physical server in a data centre that belongs to a corporation. Google, Apple, Microsoft, Yandex, Mail.ru — each has its own servers, its own rules, its own access to your data. When you upload a photo to iCloud or Google Photos — you hand it over for storage to a company. Not for storage in an abstract space — but to a specific corporation with specific interests.
Why it was created
Officially — for the user’s convenience. Synchronisation between devices, backups, access from anywhere. In reality — it solved the corporations’ main problem. Before, the data was on your device and companies had limited access to it. The cloud moved the data to the company’s servers — constantly, in real time, with full access. This is not a conspiracy — it is a business model. Data is worth money. The more data on the servers — the more precise the profile, the more expensive the advertising.
The main drawbacks
- You do not control access. The company can view your files. Google scans photos to create an advertising profile. Apple analyses iMessage to improve Siri. Mail.ru reads letters for ad targeting. This is written in the user agreements that no one reads.
Data is transferred to third parties
Cloud providers transfer data to advertising brokers, analytics platforms, partners. You consented to this by pressing «Accept» at registration.
Government access
At the request of law-enforcement bodies the company is obliged to provide access to your data. Without your knowledge, without notification. This applies to any cloud — American, Russian, European.
Leaks
Data centres are hacked. Over the last 10 years data has leaked from iCloud, Google, Dropbox, Yandex.Disk. Your photos, documents, passwords — all of this is stored in one place that is a target for hackers.
You depend on the company
The company closed down — the data disappeared. The account is blocked — there is no access. The service changed its terms — your data is now used in a new way. You do not own your data — you rent it.
There is no real deletion
When you delete a file from the cloud — it does not disappear immediately. Backups, cache, logs — the data continues to exist on the servers for months. Some companies store deleted data for years.
Why we are so actively asked to upload to the cloud
Because data on your device — is yours. Data in the cloud — is theirs. Every notification «turn on backup», every offer «upload photos to the cloud», every «synchronise» button — is an invitation to voluntarily hand over your data to someone else’s servers.
What to do
An external hard drive or flash drive — the data is physically with you. No one has access without your knowledge. Worth doing once, serves for years. If the cloud is necessary — use zero-knowledge encryption services. Proton Drive, Tresorit — the data is encrypted before being uploaded to the server. Even the provider cannot read it. Turn off automatic synchronisation on all devices. Upload only what is genuinely needed — consciously, not automatically.
The main question
Would you hand a stranger a box with all your photographs, documents and correspondence for storage? This is exactly what happens every time you press «Turn on the cloud».