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If I want to have a safe, private backup of my most confidential files online, what is the best way to go? Best as in, most secure, offering the highest level of privacy (i.e. being sure my data won't be stored on their servers 'forever' once I have deleted it, etc.), and finally reliable. The assumption is that the files will be password-protected, compressed, and encrypted.

I currently imagine two scenarios;

  • Buying cloud storage from one of the big companies, e.g. Google, Dropbox, etc.
  • Buying shared storage from a hosting service, e.g. HostGator, GoDaddy, A2 Hosting, etc.

The second option is undoubtedly much cheaper. But is it the safest option?

Are cloud services more eager to keep your data on their servers forever after you have even deleted it from your account? Are there any other secure options other than the two above?

Neli
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There is no difference. What you describe as "cloud storage" and "shared storage" is exactly the same thing: A few GB of network-accessible storage on someone's servers.

If you want to know how much a service respects your privacy, you don't need to look at how they call their product in their marketing material. You need to read the privacy policy and terms of service. It should state exactly what data they keep, how long they keep it, and under what circumstances they are allowed to access customer data or give it to other people.

You might also want to search some older IT news for any reports about security incidents at each service provider to get an idea of how competent they are at keeping your data save.

Philipp
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  • And if you make sure the data is securely encrypted when leaving your devices, it doesn't matter that much if the provider keeps your files after you "delete" them. – Josef Mar 24 '17 at 10:30
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    I HIGHLY recommend you to also dig a little into the past of your selected provider. You might find interesting events that happened in the past. HostGator, for example, bears a recent story of disgruntled employee hacking his own ex-company. Do you want to subscribe to such a provider ? I know I don't, I want a company that can protects itself from such malicious actors. Reading privacy policies & terms of use is a little light. – niilzon Mar 24 '17 at 14:39
  • BTW Hostgator has worse stories than that under the mat ;) Viewing your own password in plaintext on site-hosted documents can be scary. – niilzon Mar 24 '17 at 14:42