Which is more secure and is more private, iCloud Drive or Google Drive?

[jastanle84]

Which is more secure and handles privacy better, iCloud Drive or Google Drive?

 

[GGJstudios]

Which is more secure and handles privacy better, iCloud Drive or Google Drive?

I wouldn't expect absolute privacy from any of the cloud services, but my preference is Dropbox.

 

[Trebuin]

I like Dropbox, but they only have single security verification. I would couple it with boxcryptor or similar.

 

[impaler]

I would trust my data with Google in terms of maintaining its integrity and availability more than Apple. I trust Apple's privacy policy, cleared articulated at this link, in their desire to protect and not mine my data for the purpose of serving ads.

So, to me, Apple is more transparent and appears to care more about not knowing your data, but I think Google has a better reputation for not losing data.

http://www.apple.com/privacy/

 

[Rigby]

I like Dropbox, but they only have single security verification. I would couple it with boxcryptor or similar.

Not sure what you mean by "single security verification", but Dropbox does support 2-factor authentication. That said, they don't exactly have a sterling reputation when it comes to security. There have been several incidents over the years, including a real whopper a few years ago where the password verification was completely disabled for a short time.

Regarding privacy, here's an article from The Verge discussing the privacy policies of the various providers. It's 2 years old, but I don't think there have been major changes since. In short, all of the providers reserve the right to inspect your files under certain circumstances. And it is well-known that they scan their users' files for certain illegal content.

If you want real security and privacy, you have to encrypt your files before uploading to the cloud. You can either do it manually using e.g. Truecrypt, or use a service such as Spideroak or Wuala that uses client-side encryption. Boxcryptor seems like a nice solution too.

 

[Primejimbo]

I like Dropbox, but they only have single security verification. I would couple it with boxcryptor or similar.

They support 2 step verification. I use it and it's great.

 

[2984839]

They're both worthless for privacy, and about even for security.

Encrypt your files locally before uploading them and you won't have to worry about either.

 

[Trebuin]

Thank you for correcting me, yes they do support it.

 

[jastanle84]

Not sure what you mean by "single security verification", but Dropbox does support 2-factor authentication. That said, they don't exactly have a sterling reputation when it comes to security. There have been several incidents over the years, including a real whopper a few years ago where the password verification was completely disabled for a short time.

Regarding privacy, here's an article from The Verge discussing the privacy policies of the various providers. It's 2 years old, but I don't think there have been major changes since. In short, all of the providers reserve the right to inspect your files under certain circumstances. And it is well-known that they scan their users' files for certain illegal content.

If you want real security and privacy, you have to encrypt your files before uploading to the cloud. You can either do it manually using e.g. Truecrypt, or use a service such as Spideroak or Wuala that uses client-side encryption. Boxcryptor seems like a nice solution too.

I have heard about Spideroak and Truecrypt, but never heard of Wuala or Boxcryptor. I am most interested in Spideroak since I heard Truecrypt is not supported in a while and I haven't heard too much of the other solutions. So, do I have to manually encrypt all my files on Spideroak or can I set it up to do it automatically? How does it work on the Mac or IOS when I have to decrypt the file? Can you give me an example on how this all works using Spideroak Cloud Service?

 

[Rigby]

I have heard about Spideroak and Truecrypt, but never heard of Wuala or Boxcryptor.

Truecrypt and Boxcryptor are tools that you run on your computer that you can use to encrypt your data before uploading to a conventional cloud storage service like Dropbox. Spideroak and Wuala are cloud services that are designed for client-side encryption from the ground up.

I am most interested in Spideroak since I heard Truecrypt is not supported in a while and I haven't heard too much of the other solutions. So, do I have to manually encrypt all my files on Spideroak or can I set it up to do it automatically?

Spideroak's and Wuala's client software automatically encrypts before uploading and decrypts after downloading. This is largely transparent to the user.

How does it work on the Mac or IOS when I have to decrypt the file? Can you give me an example on how this all works using Spideroak Cloud Service?

If you use its "Hive" feature, it works just like Dropbox. But you can additionally set up more complex backup and sync operations.

 

[jastanle84]

Truecrypt and Boxcryptor are tools that you run on your computer that you can use to encrypt your data before uploading to a conventional cloud storage service like Dropbox. Spideroak and Wuala are cloud services that are designed for client-side encryption from the ground up.
Spideroak's and Wuala's client software automatically encrypts before uploading and decrypts after downloading. This is largely transparent to the user.
If you use its "Hive" feature, it works just like Dropbox. But you can additionally set up more complex backup and sync operations.

This is great information. I now have a choice to make. Thanks for your help.