One of the largest challenges companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google face is persuading people that using the cloud and sharing data with corporations in this fashion isn't an attempt to gain access to and control more and more user data. Google Docs users got an uncomfortable look at the downsides to cloud collaboration yesterday when a number of users lost access to shared documents due to a mistake in Google's content filters.
ZDNet reports(Opens in a new window) that Google Docs users lost access to their files for 6-10 hours (the variance was partly the result of time zone differences) after Google began flagging various documents as containing inappropriate content.
The outcomes were varied: Some users reported their documents had been deleted, others could edit them but not share them with others, and some were completely locked out of viewing or editing content. The problem caused varying degrees of panic, particularly with authors who were on tight timelines, and none of the content that was flagged appears to have actually been problematic in any way. Many users were downright unhappy with the idea that their content had been suddenly locked because Google's content flagging system broke and found the idea of this perpetual monitoring unsettling.
Google's vague response to the situation hasn't helped matters. A Google Docs community manager identified as Juln (Julianne) released the following statement(Opens in a new window):
The vagueness of this answer didn't sit well with some users, who rather pointedly asked how they were supposed to trust the service when its answers to questions about these problems were so imprecise:
(Opens in a new window)Furthermore, it's highly unlikely Google could have developed new safeguards and put new processes into place in a 10-hour time frame. Big companies simply do not move that quickly. The only way that claim makes sense is if Google pushed this update in violation of its own standards, and has now decided to stop doing that.
The Cloud is Not Your Friend
Cloud services can be extremely handy for document sharing and collaboration, but they're far from bulletproof. Google's Terms of Service include the following(Opens in a new window) (all capitalization original):WE DON’T MAKE ANY COMMITMENTS ABOUT THE CONTENT WITHIN THE SERVICES, THE SPECIFIC FUNCTIONS OF THE SERVICES, OR THEIR RELIABILITY, AVAILABILITY, OR ABILITY TO MEET YOUR NEEDS. WE PROVIDE THE SERVICES “AS IS”.SOME JURISDICTIONS PROVIDE FOR CERTAIN WARRANTIES, LIKE THE IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE EXCLUDE ALL WARRANTIES...
WHEN PERMITTED BY LAW, GOOGLE, AND GOOGLE’S SUPPLIERS AND DISTRIBUTORS, WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR LOST PROFITS, REVENUES, OR DATA, FINANCIAL LOSSES OR INDIRECT, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES.
TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE TOTAL LIABILITY OF GOOGLE, AND ITS SUPPLIERS AND DISTRIBUTORS, FOR ANY CLAIMS UNDER THESE TERMS, INCLUDING FOR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES, IS LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US TO USE THE SERVICES (OR, IF WE CHOOSE, TO SUPPLYING YOU THE SERVICES AGAIN).
Translation: Google does not promise that your data will be available, secure, or recoverable in the event of a service failure. It takes no legal responsibility for any problem. If a problem is found to be Google's responsibility, you are limited to recovering only what you've paid. If you spend $10,000 on college per semester, and Google accidentally deletes or locks your senior thesis the day before it's due, too bad. You have no case.
Companies often try to handwave these statements away because they know consumers don't typically read the ToS. Don't be fooled. By all means, share data in the cloud if you wish, but don't think that makes it safe. You have, quite literally, no right to expect a given level of service, no recourse in the event of a failure, and no way to recover any financial damage done to you in the event of said loss. That's not incidental. It's not a mistake. It's part and parcel of how these services operate.Tagged In
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