The gospel in recent years has been that the future is in the cloud. The web will provide the services and storage you need, and it’s safer than keeping files locally. But in the wake of the Megaupload raid, some cloud storage companies are getting cold feet and are rushing to placate the emissaries of the content industry, such as the RIAA and MPAA. All that might add up to a dark and stormy future for the cloud, and your data. The RapidShare business model is not terribly dissimilar from that of Megaupload. As such, the company has been looking for ways to distance itself from its unfortunate competitor. At the National Press Club, RapidShare recently went a step further by laying out a framework it feels cloud storage providers should adopt to better combat piracy — and it’s straight out of the RIAA’s playbook. RapidShare suggests that all uploads be scanned for copyrighted content, which would probably put a stake in the heart of fair use once and for all. The plan also indicates the files uploaded should be private by default, with the user being forced to explicitly share a file publicly. RapidShare also says that sites should hire significant numbers of new staff to actively scan user data when there is reasonable suspicion an account is being used for piracy. To be clear, RapidShare is advocating a system by which a cloud storage provider can look at your personal data if Fox, Universal, or any other content provider suspects you of wrongdoing. Not only does this smack of privacy invasion, it has to make you question the innate security of these services.
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