Danger of Google Docs

[Priscilla_June]

100% why I never use google products for anything related to erotica

 

[KeithD]

I don't use the cloud or anything similar to that for story storage. I do want to keep the stories off my own computers and stored somewhere. I recognize that no storage is forever. (I remember in working with spy files when microfiche was the latest, "lives forever," failed attempt at that.) Best answer to that I've found is redundancy in multifunctional form.

First, Literotica and other story sites are my form of "the cloud." I first came to Literotica looking for someplace I could post my stories, getting them off my computers, and get to them and copy them if needed. I'd been burned at posting to one story site when it went dormant (it's come back but I've left it) and I had visions of everything I had stored there being lost. That led me to add Literotica and other story sites as repositories for retrievable stories.

In addition, my of my work is in published form to the marketplace, which is a form of storage, but only retrievable at the cost of rebuying the work. I also (talking of old school) still put them on floppy disks and have external disk readers for my computers. Those will likely go extinct, but not necessarily before I do.

 

[StillStunned]

I recognize that no storage is forever. (I remember in working with spy files when microfiche was the latest, "lives forever," failed attempt at that.)

I've just been reading a book about the history of Mesopotamia. Those clay tablets have managed quite well.

 

[KeithD]

I've just been reading a book about the history of Mesopotamia. Those clay tablets have managed quite well.

In the mid 60s, as a summer job for three summers, I helped clean up the CIA's manually indexed foreign spy ID files and convert them to punch cards for the UNIVAC computer system. (Why they hired college kids to have this access and not fully cleared staffers is beyond me.) Luckily, they kept the manual file running in parallel, because when they activated the UNIVAC system, it ate up all the cards and retrieved nothing.

 

[TheArsonist]

While I agree with those who argue that this isn't in itself good cause to shun Google Docs (or all Google products), I disagree that it is scaremongering or not anything worth considering. I think there are a number of points that one should be aware of.

If you store things in the cloud, there is always a risk that the service will go away, that you will be locked out of your account, or that the files will be frozen or deleted for some reason. Even if Google only scans your cloud files for CSAM, terrorism and other serious crimes, they use automated tools and false positives can occur. And there is no guarantee that they won't adjust their policies/algorithms to catch a broader swathe of pornographic material. Compare how many other major sites have restricted pornography with little to no warning, and remember that Google is infamously capricious when it comes to changing its algorithm.

Sharing stories via Google Docs (one of the main reasons to use it) introduces additional risk that many people are probably not thinking about, since it means people can flag you, vindictively or even just by mistake/misunderstanding.

And while in this case only sharing was apparently restricted (though the article initially says she couldn't access her own files through various devices), it also mentions that there were problems with email for some days. It is worth keeping in mind that should your account be locked, you may lose access to other data and services.

And finally, because these web juggernauts offer essentially no customer service, if this should happen to you, you are shit out of luck.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

People still trusting the tyrant google in 2024 is hilarious.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

Isn't telling people to "definitely invest in an SSD instead of an HDD" in contradiction of then following that up by telling us how HDDs are less susceptible to that "bit rot"? I mean, at work, we have thirty-year-old HDDs in the shelves that, if needed, still work perfectly. Somehow, I have trouble believing that SSDs have a similar lifetime (though, I admit, that's mainly because SSDs haven't been around long enough to proof me wrong).

To be technical, a thumb drive or memory card is basically a solid state harddrive, principle wise, at least. The first time I heard of them was trying to find out what happened to my ipod mini, to find the hdd in them was prone to failure and there was ssd replacements. I think by the time I got it, one or two ipod gens had came out, also the first time I saw power banks--I kept a disposable one permanately plugged into it because of it's short battery life.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

Sort of. The trouble is that the risks of using older HDDs generally outweigh the risks of bit rot. Bit rot as an issue is actually very rare, and it can be mitigated. Older HDDs, meanwhile, are far more likely to fail outright or become damaged than SSDs. They can also become incompatible as the tech world marches on forward, which is a pain.

And you are right about lifetimes. SSDs do have limited lifespans. Not in terms of how old they are, but how many times they have been used. With enough writes, the memory cells will become unreliable, and they will stop working. The average consumer, though, will never reach that point of failure. Modern SSDs can last up to 100,000 write cycles. That means for my 2TB SSD I could write 200,000,000 gigabytes of data.

Writing data aside, manufacturers also often include a number called an MTBF, which generally indicates how reliable an SSD will be over time. Nowadays this usually sits around 1.5 million operational hours. You're more likely with both SSDs and HDDs to just hit a random, absolute failure in the system than you are to reach the natural end of their lifespan.

So, yeah - solely to prevent bit rot, a modern SSD might not be the best way to go. But for the greatest blanket of insurance, it usually is (remember, bit rot is very rare). I'm far from an expert, but there is loads of research around for people to look into. Just be careful about what you choose to store your notes on!

Yep. Few years ago I had a 1tb Seagate that just randomly failed one day. It was either a Seagate, or a different commonplace one. It had movies, anime, standup on it because I ran out of room on another, that I still have today. I only had it about a month and it stopped booting. Somebody said it was because of the brand. It was about $40 which wasn't bad for around 2013. I've seen 80g thumbdrives for more money in the last few years.

 

[Bramblethorn]

People still trusting the tyrant google in 2024 is hilarious.

It's not so much "people trusting Google" as "nothing is 100% trustworthy and we have to choose between a variety of imperfect options".

 

[pink_silk_glove]

It's not so much "people trusting Google" as "nothing is 100% trustworthy and we have to choose between a variety of imperfect options".

Sure, but a cloud like google drive is far far far less perfect than just keeping your own backups.

 

[mildlyaroused]

Yep. Few years ago I had a 1tb Seagate that just randomly failed one day. It was either a Seagate, or a different commonplace one. It had movies, anime, standup on it because I ran out of room on another, that I still have today. I only had it about a month and it stopped booting. Somebody said it was because of the brand. It was about $40 which wasn't bad for around 2013. I've seen 80g thumbdrives for more money in the last few years.

Oh dear! I think Seagate is a little bit hit or miss. Super good prices compared to almost any other brand, but of course at a cost…

 

[pink_silk_glove]

I've had three HD failures in my life. All three were Seagates. Never had a single problem with any other brand. My brother used to be a tech. Everyone in the business knew, if a HD failed somewhere, sure as hell it was a Seagate. I have another friend who does tech work. I told him that my HD failed (back in 2019). "Was it a Seagate?" he asked. "Yes," I said. "That's your problem," he said.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Sure, but a cloud like google drive is far far far less perfect than just keeping your own backups.

All depends on individual circumstances. I'm not blasé about Google; I've personally experienced them fucking up on privacy stuff (fortunately no harm done). But I know way more people who have been seriously fucked by the failings of their own DIY backup solutions than by using Google Drive.

Doing DIY backups properly takes time, money, and technical know-how ("don't rely on a Seagate drive" for starters!), and most people have to balance those against privacy rather than treating privacy as the only deciding factor. It's very easy to get it wrong if you don't know what you're doing. If you want to safeguard against losing data to things like fire or burglary you still need to have *some* kind of remote storage, something that's far enough away not to get hit by the same disaster but still accessible enough to use regularly.

For many people those are valid reasons to take the privacy hit of using Google or a similar service.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

Sure, but a cloud like google drive is far far far less perfect than just keeping your own backups.

I've yet to have a problem with Drive. I've had more problems with Microsoft Word/One Drive. I found out my phone has Docs, and Google was nice enough to put my works in it for me, but I don't use it. I tried to at least organize it, but there's no real way to do it, since everything is just... there... like if you dropped a file folder in your living room.

In reference to Googles privacy and how much they value customer privacy; this phone has Google Photos. My last four or five phones did not. Pictures from those last four or five phones are on it.

 

[alohadave]

I tried to at least organize it, but there's no real way to do it, since everything is just... there... like if you dropped a file folder in your living room.

You can organize documents using Google Drive, but viewing them in Google Docs shows everything in a flat folder. It's kind of annoying.