Dropbox files for public stock offering of $500 mil

Dropbox also warned potential investors that it faces threats from hackers....

Yeah, tell me about it. I stopped using all cloud services for data storage after some of my data mysteriously disappeared on OneDrive and Evernote leaked someone's private files into my account! Too scary, and also, the providers say in their agreements they've got the right to use your private data as they see fit. No thanks!

Instead, I have a 128gb low-profile thumbdrive always plugged into my laptop, plus a usb HDD. Safer and sorted.

@zichi

> Do you have all your data backed up

Yep, on my external 2tb HDD, which i keep safely at home plus Cds, DVDs,. The data is managed by me and and not some huge corporation thousands of miles away.

Google's terms of service:

When you upload, submit, store, send or receive content to or through our Services, you give Google (and those we work with) a worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works... communicate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute such content.

So, no thanks!

You can encrypt your files before storing them in a cloud.

That wouldn't have helped me. The data was lost in the cloud 3 occasions when I quick saved large docs I was working on. The cloud thought I was "collaborating" with others, which I was not, and sent my data to some imaginary collaborator, it seems. You're always vunerable to such dangers when working in the clould.

I have my own personal ‘cloud’, accessible from my devices, anywhere.

No need for large local storage these days, it’s great. Paid more for it than nothing though.

Zichi

Unless you are some kind of master spy not much to worry about.

Apart from destroyed data? Well, that's a lot for me to worry about, because these were all work-related projects.

This happened to me 3 times, 3 different projects, and during a 2 week period. I filed the cases with Microsoft and they acknowledged it, also suspecting it had someting to do with their newly enhanced collaboration features. My other peeve is slow sychronization, often taking a couple of days for one simple doc file (probably due to firewalls and the like).

So, as for cloud services --- stay away. There's no need anyway, when physical personal storage devices are so cheap, compact and reliable nowadays.

What happens when someone steals your laptop and thumb drive?

Has never happened to me in the quarter century of personal computer ownership. Anyway, the newest data would be gone, but the vast majority would still be safe at home on my external HDD. One thumbdrive is in a metal box.

But my data has in fact disappeared from the cloud. And I wonder about the medical doctor whose notes ended up in my Evernote account -- whether he/she ever got their data back.

Worst hack I ever suffered was when I left my kid with my iPhone for 30 minutes.