
Read on to find out what they are and what you can do about them: To help you get started, we’ve read the privacy policies of three popular consumer grade cloud storage providers you and your employees might be using, to understand what kind of access they have to your shared content and what security gaps are created as a consequence.

This starts with being aware of what the fine print says about the way online services manage our data. The solution? As internet users and businesses increasingly relying on cloud technology, we need to start living in a zero-trust society, actively minimizing opportunities for our data to be misused or exploited. With every data scandal and breach that hits the headlines, it becomes clear that the extensive access mainstream cloud providers can have to our files stored with them, by nature, puts it at risk. It may sound harmless at first, but in order for their business models to succeed, big cloud storage providers need our data to help improve their performance, develop new services, target us with specific advertising, share information with subcontractors for the provision of the services and on occasion, to answer government inquiries.

Can your cloud provider access the content that you are sharing through their service? If they can, what do they do with it – and as a result, is the security of your shared content compromised? Here’s the burning question that should make you pause before accepting the terms. You’re signing up for a new cloud storage provider, the Terms of Service appears and requests that you review their Privacy Policy before accepting – you check the little box next to “I have read and agree to the Terms” without actually reading it and get started with your new service.
