Microsoft Allowing OneDrive Users on Free Tier to Keep 15GB Free Storage and Camera Roll Bonus

[You are the One]

Surely not Apple: they weren't found guilty of data mining several times like Google was.
I'm not sure about OneDrive, that I actually use, but surely Microsoft 's main business isn't data mining (Google 's is).

I don't know, they way they price W10 as well as 365 indicates to me that they are beginning to strike a balance between "free" (which is not free since they in exchange take access to private information that represents high value in different markets) and the old paradigm where it wasn't the customer that was the product.

To me it's a change in their business model. The privacy-related information-industry reminds me of the old wild west, people mining for gold, even killing to dig it up anywhere.

Today the gold is pure private individual information, collected from thousand of sources, cross referenced as only computers can and presented with a complete profile of the person. In real time. Since people change.

In the end it's about absolute information domination by corporations and government agencies in relation to the individual citizen. Much of this is run with little or no oversight. Secret programs, secret courts, secret judges etc. It really is a big issue. It has become a self-feeding and self-perpetuating system that no longer serves anything else than itself. Our privacy is its food.

Big Brother is born. And we find out 15 years too late to stop him.

 

[Thunderhawks]

Umm I do? Where else will I go with all these nuclear launch codes?

I kind of go by Benjamin Franklin, who was a very very smart man:

"Three can keep a secret, if two of them are dead!"

Translating that into todays digital world means: No cloud for anything that's confidential!

 

[BigMcGuire]

The fact that Microsoft SAID they had people backing up computers, movies, etc... So they had access to see what people were backing up. I don't think Google has gone this far (at least haven't seen it). Microsoft has gotten in trouble for shutting down accounts that store (not share) NSFW pictures on their OneDrive account. I don't care if AI algorithms are mining my data especially if I get something for it (unlimited photo storage, 1TB of Google storage) - but if a human can see my data that bothers me. Microsoft made it clear they knew what people were uploading so I see Microsoft as less of a desired cloud storage location than Google. This is imo.

 

[Max(IT)]

The fact that Microsoft SAID they had people backing up computers, movies, etc... So they had access to see what people were backing up. I don't think Google has gone this far (at least haven't seen it). Microsoft has gotten in trouble for shutting down accounts that store (not share) NSFW pictures on their OneDrive account. I don't care if AI algorithms are mining my data especially if I get something for it (unlimited photo storage, 1TB of Google storage) - but if a human can see my data that bothers me. Microsoft made it clear they knew what people were uploading so I see Microsoft as less of a desired cloud storage location than Google. This is imo.

Google found guilty of mining students' educational accounts... Really, I can't trust Google about anything serious.
I have a Gmail account, I use it just for secondary tasks.

 

[BigMcGuire]

Google found guilty of mining students' educational accounts... Really, I can't trust Google about anything serious.
I have a Gmail account, I use it just for secondary tasks.

Ah I remember seeing that in the news but haven't read up on it yet. I don't have an educational apps account nor do I have kids but if I did that would bother me.

I still hold the opinion that as long as its AI doing the mining and not a human - I'm far more ok with it (as long as it's anonymous) than a human having access like OneDrive.

Just read: http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/12/01/googles-education-service-under-fire-for-privacy-violations/

"“Anonymous information uses are not covered by the pledge or any other laws around student data,” he added. Google is among 120 companies that support the FPF, a privacy think tank.

The EFF argued that aggregating and anonymizing students’ browsing history does not change the private nature of the data or the fact that it is associated with identifiable student accounts at the time it is collected."

If I get services (free storage, great apps like Google Photos) I'm 100% cool with anonymous AI data mining. I realize a lot of people aren't (they use a trucrypt vault in dropbox or SpiderOak (where you have the key) or no cloud at all).

 

[sbailey4]

That's the 40 GB that I have as well. I wonder if I need to follow these new instructions somehow and if that would allow me to keep all 40 GB or would the 10 GB Loyalty Bonus would go away (some "Loyalty" that would be on their part).

Hmm the message on the page states the 15 +15 camera bonus so I suspect the loyalty is still going away.

 

[brinary001]

I kind of go by Benjamin Franklin, who was a very very smart man:

"Three can keep a secret, if two of them are dead!"

Translating that into todays digital world means: No cloud for anything that's confidential!

Haha yes! Even those 200+ year old words still hold true today. I believe the Pentagon still keeps the codes in an old school paperback book or binder of some kind. However, it's digitally locked in a highly durable briefcase called the Nuclear Football and travels with the President just about everywhere he goes. Ya know, in case you're on vacation and feel like taking a country off the map.

 

[chillywilly]

Hmm the message on the page states the 15 +15 camera bonus so I suspect the loyalty is still going away.

I'm guessing the 10GB loyalty will go away.

 

[Zorn]

Has anyone heard anything more on the free 1yr office offer?

 

[Steve121178]

The fact that Microsoft SAID they had people backing up computers, movies, etc... So they had access to see what people were backing up. I don't think Google has gone this far (at least haven't seen it). Microsoft has gotten in trouble for shutting down accounts that store (not share) NSFW pictures on their OneDrive account. I don't care if AI algorithms are mining my data especially if I get something for it (unlimited photo storage, 1TB of Google storage) - but if a human can see my data that bothers me. Microsoft made it clear they knew what people were uploading so I see Microsoft as less of a desired cloud storage location than Google. This is imo.

Google is the last company to trust with your data! Microsoft have advanced software that can scan images to detect things like child abuse and pornography, both of which are banned from being hosted on OneDrive & Microsoft services. No humans are actively randomly browsing data and any data that is sensitive should be password protected/encrypted anyway.

Ultimately, if you are using OneDrive as it's intended to be used then your account will never be flagged for review. If on the other hand you have 100's of pictures of naked children, then expect to be pulled up sooner or later. Common sense!

 

[BigMcGuire]

I'm all for going after child abuse. That I have no problem with. That's something our Government is tasked with and I myself would have no problem letting the Govt. have access to my cloud data if they were suspecting something (because nothing is there).

I just remember in the early days of OneDrive (then called SkyDrive) - people were getting their accounts banned because they had pics of their wives or gfs that they hadn't shared with anyone else that were NSFW but not illegal. Lemme see if I can dig it up. http://wmpoweruser.com/watch-what-you-store-on-skydriveyou-may-lose-your-microsoft-life/ Sounds like it tho I didn't spend a lot of time at it. http://www.geek.com/news/skydrive-account-suspensions-prove-you-cant-trust-cloud-storage-1503931/

That's all I was saying (the above). I support child abusers being prosecuted - Dropbox gets the trophy for that recently with their photo hashing searches (thanks to Microsoft) (ID'ing child abuse photos). http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...llector-and-a-chess-club-stopped-his-rampage/ but Microsoft is actively looking at what users upload and having a human look at all this... see the comments on the geek.com article. This is why I back up everything to Google - I don't care if a machine mines my data - I have a problem with a Microsoft Employee looking at photos that I back up from my phone/cameras.

 

[chillywilly]

Has anyone heard anything more on the free 1yr office offer?

Nope. I'm curious when these invites are going to be sent out.