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The user wrote: “The Drive literally went back to [its] condition in May 2023.” That included the folder structure reverting to that old state from half a year ago.
That would indicate to me that Google may have uploaded old data (folders and files) over the then-current data/files.
So many people think "the cloud" is infallible, and don't really comprehend that what they're doing is backing up their files onto someone else's computer. So much could go wrong. My files are mine and I keep as much as I can on local hard drives.
I use an Android phone and after using it for nearly two years was horrified to discover that every single photo I had ever taken was kindly archived for me on Google Photos, even after deleting them from the phone. I deleted everything and changed the setting to not upload to Google Photos, but I'm sure Google still has their backup of that lurking somewhere deep within their bowels.
So many people think "the cloud" is infallible, and don't really comprehend that what they're doing is backing up their files onto someone else's computer. So much could go wrong. My files are mine and I keep as much as I can on local hard drives.
I use an Android phone and after using it for nearly two years was horrified to discover that every single photo I had ever taken was kindly archived for me on Google Photos, even after deleting them from the phone. I deleted everything and changed the setting to not upload to Google Photos, but I'm sure Google still has their backup of that lurking somewhere deep within their bowels.
I agree completely.
I am very annoyed that Microsoft Word seems intent on automatically saving my stuff to their cloud
So many people think "the cloud" is infallible, and don't really comprehend that what they're doing is backing up their files onto someone else's computer. So much could go wrong. My files are mine and I keep as much as I can on local hard drives.
I use an Android phone and after using it for nearly two years was horrified to discover that every single photo I had ever taken was kindly archived for me on Google Photos, even after deleting them from the phone. I deleted everything and changed the setting to not upload to Google Photos, but I'm sure Google still has their backup of that lurking somewhere deep within their bowels.
Even if one overlooks the huge convenience provided by Google Photos, at the end of day, if one takes a 1000 random phone owners who back up on their own vs another 1000 who use the cloud, my money is the on the cloud getting the job done more reliably.
So many people think "the cloud" is infallible, and don't really comprehend that what they're doing is backing up their files onto someone else's computer. So much could go wrong. My files are mine and I keep as much as I can on local hard drives.
I use an Android phone and after using it for nearly two years was horrified to discover that every single photo I had ever taken was kindly archived for me on Google Photos, even after deleting them from the phone. I deleted everything and changed the setting to not upload to Google Photos, but I'm sure Google still has their backup of that lurking somewhere deep within their bowels.
Well... you're not exactly just throwing data on some guys hard drive down the street. Strictly speaking - your local hard drive is at much higher risk than even the most basic cloud service...and Google's service is pretty top notch.
At the end of the day - cloud storage is just that. Storage. Whether or not that is the right solution is dependent on the need. And the owner of that data will still need to consider the right back strategy in case something happens. This doesn't change regardless of the type of storage you're using.
Nothing is infallible. The issue, IMO, isn't the cloud. But the general lackadaisical approach people take to the technology they use. And I'm not saying you need to know enough to be an IT expert. But the fact that people are throwing their thesis, research projects, and business files onto Google Cloud and not think about backing them up means they didn't really do their homework.
I have never understood the appeal of Google Drive, or any other cloud based storage. It's easy and cheap to just backup files using a USB drive or an SSD drive if you need more storage space.
Okay I can see where it could be useful for sharing files, but even that can probably be done more efficiently and more securely by other means.
If I was going to use cloud storage, I sure wouldn't use Google. I wouldn't trust Google as far as I can throw a stick to keep my data safe. As I posted in another thread I recently lost access to my Google account of 12 years, due to no fault of my own. Fortunately all I lost was access to my 800 YouTube subscriptions and all the videos that I had uploaded there. Which is mostly just an inconvenience.
I feel sorry for anyone who would trust Google with important data and then have something like that happen. There are way too many things that can go wrong.
1. No number of manual steps is more convenient than zero steps with automatic. However in my case, I don't use Google Drive as my backup, rather it is my primary storage. Then I back up my cloud storage to my NAS automatically using an app running on my NAS. With a centralized storage solution, the SSD in my NAS is the only storage media I require for the family.
2. My Google Drive files are wherever I want them to be...automatically. As soon as a file is created or edited, it is automatically available on all my devices (and my family member devices if I choose). Photos from my Androids phones appear on my TV using my Roku Google Photos app.
I also use OneDrive in the same fashion for my files that require a Windows device.
If either would ever fail me, I can carry on and be just fine.
Doesn't matter where you store your files, what you need are two copies in two places (acting as a backup). You do need to confirm both locations are always up to date, and not assume they are in sync. You have to check with your own eyes if they are synced and up to date on both locations. Don't assume.
If one location fails, you have all files in the other location. If the failed location doesn't come back up you need to immediately copy/sync to a new location. So you always have a backup. The cloud can act like a backup. However if you need to restore a lot of your files, or maybe all your files, that maybe take 100'sgb space, it could take a very long time to download from the cloud. Like days.
That said, I don't trust google drive to be 100% private. If ALL your files on the cloud- private, finance, etc this is a privacy/security issue. Unless you encrypt those personal files first.
So consider the above before using the cloud as your main source just for convenience. Not to mention the internet does go down at times.
Like some others have said, no storage is completely safe.
I maintain a lot of data on my personal hard drives, not quite 2 TB. I have everything backed up to multiple ( 5 ) NAS drives and to Google One ( the paid version of Google Drive ) ( $100 a year ). Haven't lost anything ( yet ).
I use Google One and pay for it, but I do not trust Google with anything really personal. All my personal folders and files get encrypted ( by my own encryption software ) before Google gets them.
But one should understand the differences between backup, mirror, and sync. If you don't, then you could easily lose something in the process. Two-way sync is very convenient, but more vulnerable ( whatever you or someone does in one place gets changed in the other as well ). Backups are safer but less convenient ( harder to delete stuff you no longer want ).
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