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onehandle

(51,122 posts)
Wed Apr 25, 2012, 02:13 PM Apr 2012

Google Drive Terms Of Service Let Google Do Whatever It Likes With Your Files

Yesterday, Google launched the near-mythical Google Drive, a 5GB Dropbox alternative with some impressive features: OCR and searching of the text in even scanned documents, (searchable) image recognition in photos, and integration with most of Google’s other services.

But there’s something else hidden in Google Drive which may make you think twice about using all these wonderful new toys: The rather scary terms of service (TOS), which gives Google a license to use all of your stored documents and photos for pretty much whatever it likes.

When you upload or otherwise submit content to our Services, you give Google (and those we work with) a worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works (such as those resulting from translations, adaptations or other changes we make so that your content works better with our Services), communicate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute such content.

Translation: you’re effectively ceding copyright and any other form of control you have over your personal documents to Google. Worse, any document created by someone else is also made subject to these conditions, just by storing it in your GDrive.

http://www.cultofmac.com/162901/google-drive-terms-of-service-let-google-do-whatever-it-likes-with-your-files/

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Rosco T.

(6,496 posts)
2. Lie. Lie. Bogus. FUD. Lie.
Wed Apr 25, 2012, 02:29 PM
Apr 2012

it comes from a mac forum, and was refuted yesterday....

article here http://phandroid.com/2012/04/24/googles-terms-of-service-may-scare-users-away-from-google-drive/

Now, these differences in terms of service was originally posted on TheVerge Forums (Microsoft Tribe) where the OP was urging others to avoid Google Drive based on their terms of service posted above. What’s interesting is they forgot a little paragraph before the one quoted above that says,

“Some of our Services allow you to submit content. You retain ownership of any intellectual property rights that you hold in that content. In short, what belongs to you stays yours.


The FUD being spread from Microsoft and Apple supporters. Leave out the important part, try to scare the uninformed, sounds like Republicans

Vehl

(1,915 posts)
9. +1, Lie indeed. And the OP seems to be spamming such FUD...here is a similar one from him yesterday
Wed Apr 25, 2012, 05:50 PM
Apr 2012
'Google Drive' went live today. Anyone here trust an Ad Company with their data?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002604343

^^

Apparently that thread sank after others, including me called out the OP for posting incorrect facts.
Lo and behold...there is yet another similar one today...from the "Cult" of Mac no less.



I'm going to simply cut/paste my post in his previous thread here.
-------------------------------------------------------------------


Apple's clearly states they may share "non-personally identifiable" data with whoever they wish and for any reason. An example of that supposed anonymous data that may be shared for marketing/advertising purposes is information associated with a Unique ID. Believe many here would not consider that non-personally identifiable.

Tim Cook went even further recently. In a March 8th letter to Congress responding to privacy concerns and questions they had ordered Mr Cook to answer:

"We do not share personally identifiable information with 3rd parties for their marketing purposes, absent consent"

How does an Apple user give consent for targeted marketing by 3rd parties using personally identifiable information gathered and sold/shared by Apple from your use of their services?




We also collect non-personal information ? data in a form that does not permit direct association with any specific individual. We may collect, use, transfer, and disclose non-personal information for any purpose. The following are some examples of non-personal information that we collect and how we may use it:

We may collect information such as occupation, language, zip code, area code, unique device identifier, location, and the time zone where an Apple product is used so that we can better understand customer behavior and improve our products, services, and advertising.

We also may collect information regarding customer activities on our website, iCloud and MobileMe services, and iTunes Store and from our other products and services. This information is aggregated and used to help us provide more useful information to our customers and to understand which parts of our website, products, and services are of most interest. Aggregated data is considered non-personal information for the purposes of this Privacy Policy.


more here
http://www.apple.com/privacy/



Read the TOS of the Apple's Privacy policy? guess what? Google does EXACTLY the same. Nothing more. And We have the usual Apple Fanboys and girls living in their lala-land thinking that "Google is Evil and Apple is different"




Vehl

(1,915 posts)
11. I second that.
Wed Apr 25, 2012, 05:56 PM
Apr 2012

The source of the OP itself should have started the warning bells ringing for most people...."Cult of Mac" ..really?

MineralMan

(146,192 posts)
6. That only supplies to material you specifically upload as "content," not as
Wed Apr 25, 2012, 03:40 PM
Apr 2012

files you maintain control over. This article is FUD. It's better to read the actual TOS for Drive than to rely on Google competitors and their fans for information on this service.

If you aren't specifically uploading something as content, Google can't use it. If you do upload it as content, read this paragraph, and the one before it in the actual TOS. You retain all copyright in your content, but Google also gets some rights to use it, as described. It's up to you. Don't want Google spreading your content around? Don't upload content to drive. Just use it as a dropbox or offsite storage.

Vehl

(1,915 posts)
10. Apple's ICloud terms of service is identical to that of Google. Read it here!
Wed Apr 25, 2012, 05:52 PM
Apr 2012


Apple's iCloud service is a little bit different from Drive and the others in that it doesn't provide direct document storage in folders, but it still stores an awful lot of user data in Photo Stream and Documents in the Cloud. And as you'd expect, Apple needs to give itself permission to handle that data. My emphasis in bold:

Except for material we may license to you, Apple does not claim ownership of the materials and/or Content you submit or make available on the Service. However, by submitting or posting such Content on areas of the Service that are accessible by the public or other users with whom you consent to share such Content, you grant Apple a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license to use, distribute, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, publicly perform and publicly display such Content on the Service solely for the purpose for which such Content was submitted or made available, without any compensation or obligation to you.



[...]

You understand that in order to provide the Service and make your Content available thereon, Apple may transmit your Content across various public networks, in various media, and modify or change your Content to comply with technical requirements of connecting networks or devices or computers. You agree that the license herein permits Apple to take any such actions.

Again, that's pretty much exactly what Google and Microsoft's policies say, for the same reasons. Apple goes one step farther in explaining that it will modify your data for the purposes of transmitting it across networks and displaying it on different types of devices, but the other companies lump that in under the permissions they need to run their services.


Stop the FUD!


AND

Apple says it can delete "Objectionable" Content anytime!

In terms of copyright infringement, Apple says it will comply with the DMCA, and reserves the right to terminate the accounts of "repeat infringers." Apple also goes one step farther and says it can remove content at any time if it's found to be "objectionable":

You acknowledge that Apple is not responsible or liable in any way for any Content provided by others and has no duty to pre-screen such Content. However, Apple reserves the right at all times to determine whether Content is appropriate and in compliance with this Agreement, and may pre-screen, move, refuse, modify and/or remove Content at any time, without prior notice and in its sole discretion, if such Content is found to be in violation of this Agreement or is otherwise objectionable.


That's the harshest line yet — Apple says it can scan and delete any data it wants at any time if that data is "objectionable," without strictly defining what "objectionable" actually means. That's probably not going to be an issue for the vast majority of iCloud users, but it's something to think about if you're putting anything sensitive or on the fringe into your iCloud account.



But But...how is this justifiable O-Apple Fan?


The Entire Article can be read here

Is Google Drive worse for privacy than iCloud, Skydrive, and Dropbox?
http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/25/2973849/google-drive-terms-privacy-data-skydrive-dropbox-icloud

Simple Answer, Nope.
 

anti-alec

(420 posts)
12. Google also screwed up Gmail a week ago. I watched the Google Groups
Wed Apr 25, 2012, 05:59 PM
Apr 2012

and saw thousands of posts complaining about the new look, and demanding a return of the "revert to old look" open on the Gears settings where it used to be. Google is still refusing to put it back on, but there is a third party fix that will override Google and return the "revert to old look" option back on.

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