Now that MegaUpload has been shut down, and all the content people stored on the site gone, some folks are starting to question the risks of cloud sharing. After all, nothing could be worse than uploading your entire music collection online only to have it disappear in an instant. No one is saying to avoid cloud storage completely, but certainly it’d be wise to think carefully about how and where you store your files.
Extreme Tech cautions that cloud storage could expose ones files to others if the site doesn’t encrypt the data. Besides privacy concerns, there’s also the issue of data security (failing hard drives, pirated content, government raids, etc.) PC World recommends using sites run by reliable companies that aren’t rife with pirated content. And, of course, to always have a backup on your own personal hard drive.
It remains to be seen just how much of a chilling effect the MegaUpload shutdown will have on file-sharing sites, including music blogs — the main source for many people to get new music. But, in the meantime, start backing up those files.
