In Times Like These, What Company Can You Trust?

[A895]

I am now revisiting the topic of privacy and smartphones. Now that the cat is out of the bag about how tech companies have been working with the NSA, and in Microsofts case in particular, they were paid millions for it, in these times, who can you trust? I don't know if anyone knows or remembers, there was a privacy scare with Motorola too, it was just so down low that it was on a forum post maybe a year or 2 ago, it was about how Motorola was sending device info (IMEI #, and other phone identifying info to a server), but people didn't notice it someone discovered it when going through an older Motorola phones software and discovering it. Last year we had PRISM, and Apple, Google and Microsoft were found to be in cahoots with the "Man".

Now this isn't tin foil hat stuff, but real life. How do we as consumers know who to trust when there could be even mote tech companies than we originally thought who had back doors to our data? Or do we just make a decision and hope our trust wasn't misplaced? Now that we are all informed on what is going on, here is my question; Which tech company do you trust the most with your information and data?

 

[rews]

I am now revisiting the topic of privacy and smartphones. Now that the cat is out of the bag about how tech companies have been working with the NSA, and in Microsofts case in particular, they were paid millions for it, in these times, who can you trust? I don't know if anyone knows or remembers, there was a privacy scare with Motorola too, it was just so down low that it was on a forum post maybe a year or 2 ago, it was about how Motorola was sending device info (IMEI #, and other phone identifying info to a server), but people didn't notice it someone discovered it when going through an older Motorola phones software and discovering it. Last year we had PRISM, and Apple, Google and Microsoft were found to be in cahoots with the "Man".

Except the things is, this has never actually been proven. Who do you trust indeed? Well, let's take a look at Google.

Google decided by a majority vote to withdraw their services from China because they disagreed with the authoritarian regime's draconian desires to control and censor them.

Google unequivocally denounced the British secret service's illegal tapping into their data centers when they found out about it and proceeded to encrypt everything worldwide.

Google announced that they will continue encrypting all user data by default, and publicly denounced the FBI recently for protesting it. Google went on record to say they will only respond to legally obtained subpoenas.

Eric Schmidt went on record in a recent interview to say Google never has, doesn't, and never will entertain relationships with intelligence agencies. I have a really hard time believing one of the mega-CEO's of tech would issue such an unequivocal statement like that if there was any chance at all it wasn't true because it would absolutely destroy his reputation were it ever discovered. And why would Schmidt behave like a US government operative anyway? He has a better job than the President of the US himself.

Doesn't sound like a company that doesn't have my interests protected to me.

See here's the thing. The US and UK have been hacking the top tech companies under programs like those alleged by Snowden. But were the tech companies complicit in this? No, I don't think they were. I don't think they were even consulted. And now they're fighting against it publicly.

It seems more to me that the real culprits here are the US and UK governments, not the tech companies. I trust Google to do as much as they're capable of to protect my data, but sadly I cannot trust that certain governments will stop trying to get at it without their permission.

 

[A895]

Except the things is, this has never actually been proven. Who do you trust indeed? Well, let's take a look at Google.

Google decided by a majority vote to withdraw their services from China because they disagreed with the authoritarian regime's draconian desires to control and censor them.

Google unequivocally denounced the British secret service's illegal tapping into their data centers when they found out about it and proceeded to encrypt everything worldwide.

Google announced that they will continue encrypting all user data by default, and publicly denounced the FBI recently for protesting it. Google went on record to say they will only respond to legally obtained subpoenas.

Eric Schmidt went on record in a recent interview to say Google never has, doesn't, and never will entertain relationships with intelligence agencies. I have a really hard time believing one of the mega-CEO's of tech would issue such an unequivocal statement like that if there was any chance at all it wasn't true because it would absolutely destroy his reputation were it ever discovered. And why would Schmidt behave like a US government operative anyway? He has a better job than the President of the US himself.

Doesn't sound like a company that doesn't have my interests protected to me.

See here's the thing. The US and UK have been hacking the top tech companies under programs like those alleged by Snowden. But were the tech companies complicit in this? No, I don't think they were. I don't think they were even consulted. And now they're fighting against it publicly.

It seems more to me that the real culprits here are the US and UK governments, not the tech companies. I trust Google to do as much as they're capable of to protect my data, but sadly I cannot trust that certain governments will stop trying to get at it without their permission.

The government is the government, and quite honestly I would trust the government before a company. It is more the fact that tech companies weren't about security or saying statements like Schmidt until Snowden leaked all this info. Obviously they weren't being open before about everything they were doing before.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[rews]

Occam's razor says otherwise. Why would a company just randomly announce "oh by the ways guys, we don't work with the NSA. Just sayin!" without it being a topic of discussion? That would make zero sense.
On one hand we have statements and actions I listed above. On the other hand we have a government who tries to subvert companies behind their backs, with a long track record of Ollie North type activities. Yeah, I think I'll go with Google.

Go listen to the FBI director recent speech that is going after companies for protecting user data by the way. What a greasy sleazebag

 

[TOTtomdora]

Except the things is, this has never actually been proven. Who do you trust indeed? Well, let's take a look at Google.

Google decided by a majority vote to withdraw their services from China because they disagreed with the authoritarian regime's draconian desires to control and censor them.

Google unequivocally denounced the British secret service's illegal tapping into their data centers when they found out about it and proceeded to encrypt everything worldwide.

Google announced that they will continue encrypting all user data by default, and publicly denounced the FBI recently for protesting it. Google went on record to say they will only respond to legally obtained subpoenas.

Eric Schmidt went on record in a recent interview to say Google never has, doesn't, and never will entertain relationships with intelligence agencies. I have a really hard time believing one of the mega-CEO's of tech would issue such an unequivocal statement like that if there was any chance at all it wasn't true because it would absolutely destroy his reputation were it ever discovered. And why would Schmidt behave like a US government operative anyway? He has a better job than the President of the US himself.

Doesn't sound like a company that doesn't have my interests protected to me.

See here's the thing. The US and UK have been hacking the top tech companies under programs like those alleged by Snowden. But were the tech companies complicit in this? No, I don't think they were. I don't think they were even consulted. And now they're fighting against it publicly.

It seems more to me that the real culprits here are the US and UK governments, not the tech companies. I trust Google to do as much as they're capable of to protect my data, but sadly I cannot trust that certain governments will stop trying to get at it without their permission.

Do you have a source for this? A quick search couldn't find me anything specific to Google, and I'd love to have something to show people to prove that Google doesn't work for government agencies.

Sent from my Nexus 7

 

[rews]

Yes, unfortunately it's audio so you have to find it in the stream
http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/mobile...is-government-control-could-end-the-internet/

 

[A895]

Occam's razor says otherwise. Why would a company just randomly announce "oh by the ways guys, we don't work with the NSA. Just sayin!" without it being a topic of discussion? That would make zero sense.
On one hand we have statements and actions I listed above. On the other hand we have a government who tries to subvert companies behind their backs, with a long track record of Ollie North type activities. Yeah, I think I'll go with Google.

Go listen to the FBI director recent speech that is going after companies for protecting user data by the way. What a greasy sleazebag

It wasn't a topic of discussion that is my point, why all of sudden the massive push to encryption and security after the cat is out of the bag? Seems suspicious to me.

 

[rews]

It wasn't a topic of discussion that is my point, why all of sudden the massive push to encryption and security after the cat is out of the bag? Seems suspicious to me.

I think it's normal. There was no reason to discuss it when it wasn't a known issue. It's normal to discuss contentious issues when they arise. Schmidt is doing his due diligence in making it very clear what Google's stance is on this.

 

[A895]

I think it's normal. There was no reason to discuss it when it wasn't a known issue. It's normal to discuss contentious issues when they arise. Schmidt is doing his due diligence in making it very clear what Google's stance is on this.

I don't think it is normal. Yeah he wants to make it seem like Google is benign, but we should know by now there is more to it than what they say publicly.

 

[BobLobIaw]

Which tech company do you trust the most with your information and data?

If you listen to Edward Snowden, he says to avoid Dropbox, Facebook and Google, for starters. I use all three, but in a very limited use. I use OneDrive and Outlook the most, but I wouldn't expect much more, if any, in terms of privacy from Microsoft. Snowden says to use SpiderOak.

 

[A895]

If you listen to Edward Snowden, he says to avoid Dropbox, Facebook and Google, for starters. I use all three, but in a very limited use. I use OneDrive and Outlook the most, but I wouldn't expect much more, if any, in terms of privacy from Microsoft. Snowden says to use SpiderOak.

Spider oak I had wanted to use, but their app has a low 3.6 rating with reviewers citing the app is crash prone and has no auto upload. Then again, I don't really need a cloud service as a I use micro SD cards.

I use OneDrive the most too, but I know for a fact Microsoft goes through your content (copyrighted and nude pics gets deleted) from their TOS.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[BobLobIaw]

I use OneDrive the most too, but I know for a fact Microsoft goes through your content (copyrighted and nude pics gets deleted) from their TOS.

Posted via the Android Central App

I have a lot of ****'s Picks backed up on OneDrive, but fortunately it is the type of file that won't get deleted:

Grateful Dead discography - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Others may have problems with similar-sounding files....

 

[rews]

I don't think it is normal. Yeah he wants to make it seem like Google is benign, but we should know by now there is more to it than what they say publicly.

I disagree. I think a lot of people are making the mistake of misinterpreting all these leaks to mean that Google is complicit in the government spying. Did breaches occur? Oh yes, I do believe that happened. But not with the willing participation of Google or Apple. THAT'S the important part that people are either missing or misconstruing. And unfortunately now we have a ton of bloggers mucking up the waters even more by encouraging that misconception for page views.

I have no problem with anyone who wants to voice concerns that these companies aren't doing enough to protect our info from hackers or spying. It's the ones who say they are actually assisting in allowing your data to be spied on that make me smh.

RE the most recent Snowden comments about FB, Dropbox, Google: he's accusing them of not encrypting enough, not of deliberately allowing access to spy agencies.

On a humorous side note, he gave that interview using Google Hangouts lol.

 

[A895]

I disagree. I think a lot of people are making the mistake of misinterpreting all these leaks to mean that Google is complicit in the government spying. Did breaches occur? Oh yes, I do believe that happened. But not with the willing participation of Google or Apple. THAT'S the important part that people are either missing or misconstruing. And unfortunately now we have a ton of bloggers mucking up the waters even more by encouraging that misconception for page views.

I have no problem with anyone who wants to voice concerns that these companies aren't doing enough to protect our info from hackers or spying. It's the ones who say they are actually assisting in allowing your data to be spied on that make me smh.

RE the most recent Snowden comments about FB, Dropbox, Google: he's accusing them of not encrypting enough, not of deliberately allowing access to spy agencies.

On a humorous side note, he gave that interview using Google Hangouts lol.

You have to remember that encryption us not being secure enough which none of them are. I don't trust any of them fully because of that and other instances since PRISMs reveal.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[rews]

You have to remember that encryption us not being secure enough which none of them are. I don't trust any of them fully because of that and other instances since PRISMs reveal.

Posted via the Android Central App

I realize that and I don't fully trust my data to the cloud either. I do store some mundane photos and leisure information online, but any sensitive documents I have get backed up purely at home in triplicate on external hard drives. If I ever had a fire or break-in I'd be screwed but it is what it is.