WHY CLOUD BACKUPS WILL BURN YOU
#UNTRACEABLE #privacy
The Hidden Dangers of iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox and What to Use Instead
Cloud backups feel convenient. Set it and forget it. Your files, synced across devices. Your memories safe, easy to get to. Your work recoverable and backed up.
Until it isn’t.
This illusion of safety is exactly how cloud giants trap you. Beneath the glossy UX is a surveillance machine that doesn’t work in your favor. Rely on iCloud, Google Drive, or Dropbox, and sooner or later you will get burned.
#1: YOU DON’T OWN YOUR DATA
Cloud storage isn’t internet magic. It’s just someone else’s computer. That means:
You follow their rules. They can lock you out at any time, no appeal, no warning. One flagged file, one “terms of service” violation, and poof. All your files are gone.
They scan your content. Apple and Google scan photos, documents, and backups. “To detect abuse,” they say. But mission creep is real. From CSAM detection to “misinformation,” your personal data is fair game to build a even better profile of you.
Your data feeds their AI. Google’s updated terms allow it to train AI models on what you store in Drive or Gmail. Even if you opt out, it’s unclear where your data ends and their model begins.
You wouldn’t hand your safety deposit keys to a stranger. Why hand over your digital storage?
#2: ENCRYPTION THEATER
They love to say your data is encrypted. But here’s what they won’t say:
They hold the keys. If they can reset your password, they can unlock your files. That’s not real encryption. That’s encryption for show. I’m looking at you Proton.
Zero-knowledge? Rarely. Dropbox claims “encryption at rest,” but their employees can access your data. iCloud encrypts most content, but not iCloud Mail, metadata, or shared files.
Apple’s Advanced Data Protection? Better, but still opt-in, confusing, and incomplete. And even then, you’re still in Apple’s walled garden. (It got challenged and even the option was removed in the UK)
Encryption only works when you control the keys. Anything else is trust based security. And trust is not a security model.
#3: LEGAL COMPLIANCE ISN’T ON YOUR SIDE
When your data lives in the cloud, it lives under someone else’s jurisdiction.
US CLOUD Act. Government agencies can compel access to your files, even if servers are overseas.
Secret warrants and gag orders. You will never know it happened. They know how to keep secrets from you, just not for you.
Shared folder? Shared exposure. One compromised account in a shared Drive folder can give attackers a pivot point into your files.
And yes, this applies even if you did nothing wrong. Your files are just collateral damage.
#4: FAILURES HAPPEN MORE THAN YOU THINK
Cloud providers fail. Quietly. Often.
Dropbox has lost user data. Not once, but multiple times. Search “Dropbox data loss” and see for yourself.
Google Drive file disappearances. In 2023, a bug deleted months of data for users. Google said: “Don’t sync, wait for an update.” No timeline. No guarantees.
iCloud sync issues. Mac users often find corrupted Notes, missing Contacts, overwritten files with zero recourse.
These are trillion-dollar companies. Keeping your files safe is not their priority, collecting your data is.
SO WHAT’S THE ALTERNATIVE?
Simple: Own your backups. Encrypt everything. Sync on your terms.
Here’s what to use instead:
1. SYNCING: Syncthing
A free, peer-to-peer sync tool. Works across Windows, Linux, Android, macOS. No servers. No cloud. Files stay in your hands. End-to-end encrypted if needed. You control everything.
2. BACKUPS: BorgBackup + rclone
Borg is fast, deduplicated, and encrypted. Pair it with rclone to push backups to external drives, VPS, or S3-compatible storage under your control, encrypted with your keys.
3. ENCRYPTION: Cryptomator or VeraCrypt
Cryptomator wraps files in secure containers, even if you use cloud providers. VeraCrypt works better for entire volumes. Use one or both.
4. REDUNDANCY: 3-2-1 Rule
3 copies
2 different media types
1 offsite (not Google Drive)
Backups are only as good as your recovery plan. Test it. Regularly.
IF YOU DO NOTHING ELSE, DO THIS
Stop backing up plaintext to iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox.
Encrypt before sync. Always. (try picocrypt it’s a beginner simple GUI and tiny)
Treat cloud providers as hostile. Not because they always are, but because they can be.
FINAL WORD: CONTROL OR CONVENIENCE?
The promise of cloud backups is convenience. But the cost is control.
You’re not paranoid for wanting ownership. You’re not extreme for saying no to surveillance disguised as service. It’s your data.
Cloud backups will burn you. It’s not a question of if, only when.
Own your data. Own your keys. Or lose them both.
https://untraceabledigitaldissident.com/why-cloud-backups-will-burn-you/
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