Quick overview:
Photo: skydrive.live.com (screenshot)
Data on the server instead of on the hard disk: this way, the photo and music collection is also available on the go, texts and tables can be accessed anywhere. For private users, this is usually handled by cloud services such as SkyDrive, Dropbox and GoogleDrive. Business customers rent space in a data center. However, the NSA spying scandal is causing users to doubt the security of the data cloud. How well do German data protection laws protect? What's the situation with Microsoft's SkyDrive?
Data stored in the cloud is actually safer than on a hard disk at home: anyone who has ever lost family photos or other personal documents forever due to a hard disk failure can tell you a thing or two about it.
Even regular data backups do not protect against fire or burglary. Provided the data is stored on the same premises and not on a server in a data center somewhere in the world. And yet data clouds are only "actually" safer than hard disks at home.
Servers in this country protected by data protection laws
The problem of data protection is causing worry lines on the foreheads of business people and private users alike: if confidential company documents or photos from the last party are not stored on personal data carriers, security concerns are justified. After all, some secret services are going crazy and trying to get their hands on every file on the planet, allegedly in the name of "counter-terrorism".
And apparently quite successfully.
German cloud providers are therefore particularly popular at the moment, as they comply with the strict German Data Protection Act advertise. But what does that mean in concrete terms?
The prohibition principle with reservation of permission also applies in the data center
A key principle of the law is the so-called prohibition principle with reservation of permission. It states that the collection, processing and use of personal data is generally prohibited.
Access is only legal if the data subject expressly consents to the collection, processing and use of the data. Or if there is a clear legal basis. This in turn means that German security authorities may only access the content of messages if a court order has been issued. Be it emails or data on servers in a data center in this country. The hurdles for this are higher than in the USA and other countries.
The principle of data avoidance and data minimization is also important: all data processing systems should store no or as little personal data as possible. If this cannot be avoided, it should be anonymized wherever possible.
This therefore applies to all data that is stored on a server in a data center in Germany. German Providers like Lan Con for example, which offer hosting in locations such as Hamburg, Berlin and Hanover, are likely to benefit from the uncertainty.
SkyDrive - can it also be used via servers in this country?
The situation regarding cloud data protection in the USA is completely different: US authorities are allowed to access the servers of US companies without a court order under the Patriot Act, which has been in force since 2001 to combat terrorism. This means that the FBI, CIA and NSA can happily snoop on users' private data stored on US servers. The location of the server is decisive for the legal situation.
What about SkyDrive (in future "OneDrive")? Although Microsoft also operates server farms in Europe, Microsoft distributes the data of private customers, including SkyDrive users, all over the world depending on utilization. It does not matter which country the user comes from.
Since subsidiaries of US companies are also subject to the Patriot Act, almost the same conditions apply as in the USA.
Conclusion: Move to a German data center or encrypt
So if you don't want your data to be viewed by US intelligence services, you either have to move to a German or European data center or encrypt it.
If you don't want to move straight away, the Encryption with Boxcryptor a good alternative. The tool is free for private users, while business users pay 36 to 72 euros per year.
Data encrypted with this tool is safe from any secret service. Even secret services bite their teeth out with the AES-256 and RSA encryption method.
Photo above: skydrive.live.com (screenshot)
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