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Edward Snowden’s Privacy Tips: “Get Rid of Dropbox,” Avoid Facebook and Google

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Re: Edward Snowden’s Privacy Tips: “Get Rid of Dropbox,” Avoid Facebook and Google

#31

Post by csandreasen »

nitrogen wrote: post #17
lern_too_spel wrote: post #13

"Even with that encryption, he said law enforcement officials can still ask for warrants that will give them complete access to a suspect’s phone, which will include the key to the encrypted data." What, pray tell, is the mechanism by which the key will be obtained? Snowden is bloviating here.

If a key is stored on your phone, it can be obtained the same way any other data is obtained. If the key is password protected, a key logger would yield the password. Edit: I forgot to check to whom I replied; "lern_to_spel" shows up on all of the Snowden threads.

The keys aren't stored on the phone - that's what's caused all of the recent controversy. A warrant to install a keylogger isn't very useful after the suspect has been taken into custody.

Re: Edward Snowden’s Privacy Tips: “Get Rid of Dropbox,” Avoid Facebook and Google

#32

Post by adventured »

film42 wrote: post #25
adventured wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't get to determine whether you have something to hide or not. That's not up to you. It's up to whomever is targeting you to decide whether they want to turn something you consider irrelevant, into something that puts you in prison. For example, something not considered a crime today, such as having this conversation, can be a 'thought crime' tomorrow. Oh, I see here film42, that back in 2014, you partook in a…

I agree with your principle, but I'm confident that I don't need to worry about a hard labor sentencing regime.

Hopefully not.

All you need to worry about is being put on a terrorist watch list and black listed from being able to fly anywhere in North America easily.

Either way, the correct answer to "I have nothing to hide" is: you are not in control, and do not get to decide whether you have something to hide or not. You have no power over that matter. Once you understand that to be a indisputable fact - no matter what country you're in (as a citizen is never the one making that call) - then you'll stop saying that phrase, as it is equivalent to saying: "I am in charge of the FBI"

Re: Edward Snowden’s Privacy Tips: “Get Rid of Dropbox,” Avoid Facebook and Google

#33

Post by gizmo686 »

mark_l_watson wrote: post #11

I use DropBox and Google Drive a lot, but I have scripts to encrypt data into ZIP files for anything that needs to be protected. It really is not much of a hassle. I have a SpiderOak account, but don't use it as often. Speaking of protecting data: I am surprised at how many companies seem to keep their software in private repositories on github and bitbucket. That seems like a security hole, if software if the core o…

When I started using DropBox, I made an encrypted directory (using EncFS) for the stuff I cared about keeping private. This keeps the real-time sync element of DropBox, and avoids needing to reupload all of the encrypted files whenever one changes (although it does prevent incremental updates on individual files).

As an added bonus, these files are now encrypted on my machine as well.

Re: Edward Snowden’s Privacy Tips: “Get Rid of Dropbox,” Avoid Facebook and Google

#34

Post by smtddr »

film42 wrote: post #16
[deleted] wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[deleted]

I firmly agree with you, these services can seem scary, and we're half way down that slippery slope. But it's hard for myself (the consumer) to leave a service (like dropbox) that makes my life easier. I can manage my own private dropbox like service, but I don't trust myself. Maybe that's even scarier.

So, I get what you're saying. I have no intention of abandoning Google either. In fact, I still see Google as the good guys as odd as that might be to many people. In the short term I understand what Edward is saying, but I'm about the long-term game. Doesn't matter what trendy tech company has your data. Yesterday it was Yahoo & Myspace. Today it's Google & Facebook, tomorrow who knows... but the one constant in all of this is a corrupt government. I'm only interested in fixing government and fixing(or destroying) the NSA. Avoiding the victims(Google,Facebook,Apple,etc) of bad laws I don't think solves things in the long term. But, if you're an activist planning a revolution or becoming another whistle-blower in the near future... then by all means do what Edward says so you can at least attempt your plan and not get preemptively stopped.

Re: Edward Snowden’s Privacy Tips: “Get Rid of Dropbox,” Avoid Facebook and Google

#35

Post by film42 »

staz wrote: post #21
film42 wrote: post #5

I won't be getting rid of Dropbox, Google services, or Facebook anytime soon. I disagree with government spying, and would like to see major reform, but (disagreeing with Snowden) I actually have nothing to hide. I'm not excusing the companies that provide data to governments, but I like the services they provide. They solve problems I want solved, so I will continue to use them. Edit: Why all the down votes? If you…

The downvotes are probably because "The nothing to hide" line is such a tired argument. Do you have blinds on your windows? Do you mind if we place a camera in your bathroom? Why? You have nothing to hide.

I see your point, but I was addressing the Snowden quote from the article where he said, "When you say, ‘I have nothing to hide,’ you’re saying, ‘I don’t care about this right.’"

Also, I really don't like that counter argument. I think it's supposed to instill fear. Everyone has a blindless-window on the internet. Like, what happens when you google: " freenode"?

Re: Edward Snowden’s Privacy Tips: “Get Rid of Dropbox,” Avoid Facebook and Google

#36

Post by vikramsrao »

jayd16 wrote: post #29
vikramsrao wrote: post #26

If i do all of these how do i share documents or search for information on the web? What ever the alternative is going to have the same issues as Dropbox, Facebook or Google. I cannot build my own versions of these!

You could build your own dropbox. It's not that complex. A social network and a search engine would be a bit harder.

I agree dropbox would be easier of these and i can live without Facebook but definitely not be able to build a google. But more importantly is it worth it? I have a feeling from hardware to layers of software in the tech stack we use is all compromised to give access in one way or the other or they can be cracked brute force with the enormous computing power these organisations have.

Re: Edward Snowden’s Privacy Tips: “Get Rid of Dropbox,” Avoid Facebook and Google

#37

Post by xnull2guest »

lern_too_spel wrote: post #8
xnull wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dropbox was revealed as a participant of the PRISM program: anything you store there is searchable. The same is true of Facebook and Google and Yahoo, Apple, all cell phone carriers, all internet carriers and other cloud storage companies including Skydrive/Onedrive.

You left out half a sentence. "Anything you store there is searchable" if the US government has a court order for your data. This has always been the case. Other governments have similar systems for processing data obtained via legal requests, under different names.

Right, but the Snowden revelations showed that the FISA court was/is? a rubber stamp circle without any real due process - and in fact they can search the data and afterwards make a request via the FISA court. The data is also collected and stored and processed by algorithms without any court oversight, it is just when they want a contractor to look through the data manually that the minimal paperwork is involved.

It would be misleading to include that half sentence without also mentioning this.

Re: Edward Snowden’s Privacy Tips: “Get Rid of Dropbox,” Avoid Facebook and Google

#38

Post by swartkrans »

jayd16 wrote: post #29
vikramsrao wrote: post #26

If i do all of these how do i share documents or search for information on the web? What ever the alternative is going to have the same issues as Dropbox, Facebook or Google. I cannot build my own versions of these!

You could build your own dropbox. It's not that complex. A social network and a search engine would be a bit harder.

> You could build your own dropbox. It's not that complex.

It would be incredibly complex to build your own Dropbox. Maybe it wouldn't be "complex" to use rsync to automatically copy files over to some other drive if that's all you wanted, but Dropbox does way more than that and I don't plan on dropping Dropbox for some half baked solution that requires more effort to set up, maintenance and ends up in lost data because on the one in a million chance the FBI might want to look at pictures of my pets.

I don't know how I feel about government surveillance, but I sure as hell don't see it worth to trade some supposed imperceptible theoretical harm with tons of actual effort and inconvenience.

Re: Edward Snowden’s Privacy Tips: “Get Rid of Dropbox,” Avoid Facebook and Google

#39

Post by sauere »

[deleted] wrote: post #23
mark_l_watson wrote: post #11

I use DropBox and Google Drive a lot, but I have scripts to encrypt data into ZIP files for anything that needs to be protected. It really is not much of a hassle. I have a SpiderOak account, but don't use it as often. Speaking of protecting data: I am surprised at how many companies seem to keep their software in private repositories on github and bitbucket. That seems like a security hole, if software if the core o…

[deleted]

The Standard .zip Crypto (know as "ZipCrypto") is 100% trash. However, it is possible to use AES-256 encryption in 7zip (and even WinZip, not that anyone actually uses that anymore...)

Re: Edward Snowden’s Privacy Tips: “Get Rid of Dropbox,” Avoid Facebook and Google

#40

Post by [deleted] »

csandreasen wrote: post #27
lern_too_spel wrote: post #13

"Even with that encryption, he said law enforcement officials can still ask for warrants that will give them complete access to a suspect’s phone, which will include the key to the encrypted data." What, pray tell, is the mechanism by which the key will be obtained? Snowden is bloviating here.

... and he advocates ditching Dropbox in favor of a closed source, proprietary encrypted file storage service... ... and he tells you not to use Google, but gives every one of his remote appearances through Google Hangouts...

[deleted]
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