On 20 May 2014 04:51, Art wrote: > Don't even think about this 'free' offer. > To use it, you have to give up your email address, and you have to > install their software on your system. > Who knows what this software really does, it's not open source!! Does it > open up yet another back door into your system? > Also, who knows how many others have access to your stored data?? > When you use this sort of 'free' deal, you give up your privacy, your > identity, and the stored data might be viewed by others Art Thread, either here or in OT should not stray too too far into "enemy of the state" movie stuff. I'll reply as if I assume you are not trolling. All your points have some merit. All have been very very extensively canvassed on this list and vastly more so on the internet in general. These are issues which relate to various extents to this specific software, this general type of service, software in general and the internet in general. This message, containing your email address and other information, has passed to and fro across the web a sum total of, by now, thousands of times. Google, and no doubt others, have mined it for relevant ad material, stored it for future reference and 'worked out' ways to make $ from it. ANY information that leaves your system that is not encrypted with the very best available security systems should be regarded as potential fodder for the security services of countless nations, and various commercial enterprises as well. Anything maximally protected should be at least suspected of being the same. The issues of privacy and security of "cloud" stored data have been excessively well canvassed. This service SOUNDS as if it is about as good or better than most in these respects. Whether it is is unknown. You pay your money ($0 in this case), you do whatever due diligence seems apposite to you, and you take your chance. So far I have ~=3D 100 GB of COPY web storage - largely thanks to others joining me in signing up. Most of that will end up filled with photos, probably. The NSA and any other entities are welcome enough (ie unwelcome but it's not a major issue for me) to troll that if they must, as long as they respect copyright if they ever want to show their face publicly. The Open Source / closed source / backdoor / ... issue has been, is being and will be so utterly thrashed to death in public fora flora and any other available and unavailable venue, that more comment on it is liable to be superfluous. So, the warnings are not unappreciated BUT to avoid all the points raised would require attention to a far wider range of issues than raised by just this software, or type of software, or software in general, or ... - and seem about impossible to fully address rationally while still choosing to participate in modern society. (Fewer Amish would have problems with most of these issues than would most others. They got it right - who knew!). Russell --=20 http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .