It's increasingly common to
share all kinds of files through services such as
DropBox,
OneDrive and
Drive. We post pictures on Photobucket and Imgur, upload files to
MediaFire or
Mega, and put music on Soundcloud. If you want to share these files, you can create a private
link; anyone who receives it can use it to access these files.
If there are
bugs in the app's security, however, or
if the link is shared on an open network, your data might end up in
Google, which continuously scans the network for new links. If you send
the private link to someone who is careless, for example, they might
share the link in an email or post, which can be scanned by Google. Once
its in the system, there is little you can do, except hide the files or
delete them.
A document stored in Dropbox can be accessible from Google
File sharing isn't something to be taken lightly: apps can make
mistakes, just like people. If you want to share something with the
minimum guarantee of security, follow these
basic tips.
Tip 1: regularly check your shared files
It's good to regularly
review what you're sharing.
Google Drive has
filters that quickly let you see public documents, or documents that have been shared via a link.
The
privacy of those files can be modified with a few mouse clicks. Mark them and go to the "Share" menu.
SkyDrive (soon to be OneDrive) works in a similar way: if you click on the "
Shared"
menu, you'll see all the files you're sharing publicly or through a
private link. In properties, you can then change the files back to being
private.
If you're using
Dropbox, there are two sections
where you can check what you're sharing: one with folders, and one with
private links. "Unsharing" is as simple as clicking on the cross which
is in the box next to the file.
Tip 2: delete metadata and other sensitive information
There's much more information contained in a file than is visible at
first glance. Even after removing personal data – something
that's highly recommended – a Word
DOC may contain
information that can lead you to the person who created it.
Doc Scrubber eliminates metadata from Word documents
This information is called "metadata" (data about the data), and
almost every file contains it: pictures, videos, music, documents– no
file is immune. You can use tools like
MetaStripper or
Doc Scrubber to remove metadata from your files.
Tip 3: Set up Google Alerts for your personal data
If you're worried about the possibility of information being leaked, it's worth setting up a Google Alert.
Google Alerts
warn you when new results appear for a chosen piece of text. You can
get the alert straight away, or after a few hours so that if one of your
files has filtered into a public network, you'll be the first to know.
With Alerts, it can be useful to include a fragment of your current
account number or ID number, your full name, or your phone number.
Unfortunately, Google Alerts aren't yet able to tell you about the
appearance of duplicated or plagiarized images.
Tip 4: Choose the most appropriate site for file sharing
There are an
infinite number of services that let
you share files on the Internet, but using Dropbox and Mega, for
example, is not the same thing. The characteristics of each service
determine what's best to share through it. Some sites are best used
for sharing files in a fleeting way, for example, through the use of
deletion codes.
"Large files that you wouldn't care if they were deleted? Go on then, upload to Mega..."
If you want to
distribute a file in the short term
and include an expiry date on it, for example, it's best to use Mega,
while for collaborative editing, it makes more sense to upload it to
SkyDrive or Google Drive. The important thing is to know at all times
what you're sharing, and where.
Want security at the next level? Set some passwords
These tips will help protect you from getting into the majority of
trouble that's associated with data leaks, but you should be aware that
sharing something using online methods can expose your data to all kinds
of unforeseen circumstances.
Maximum security can be achieved through data
encryption, or a combination of compression and encryption. If you
upload an RAR 5.0 file with 256-bit encryption instead of a document
that isn't encrypted, your privacy will be more secure.
