Your personal information collected and stored online is valuable

Moving your documents from filing cabinets and computer hard drives to online “cloud computing” services can be convenient. But the documents and files you store or produce online—and what you do with them—can say a lot about your interests, hobbies, habits, and concerns. And outdated privacy laws, written before the Internet even existed, mean that all this personal info isn’t being properly protected from prying eyes. Don’t pay for cloud computing by giving up control of your personal information!

What goes into the cloud might not stay in the cloud

When you store information, like a budget, calendar, or photo album, in a filing cabinet or computer at home, you know who can get access to it. When you store info on the Internet, it’s harder to be sure. The service you use might look at this information and use it to build a profile of who you are, what you like, and where you go. It might use this profile for targeted advertising, or even share this information with others. And you might not even know it’s happening.

What goes into the cloud could wind up with the government

If you store personal information in your desk drawer or home computer, the government needs to get a warrant from a judge before it can get its hands on it. But if you store the exact same information in a cloud computing service, these same legal protections may not apply. Rather than getting permission from a judge, the government says it can just ask the company (not you directly!) to hand over your personal information.

Demand control in the cloud

You deserve to be able to use cloud computing services without having to worry that your information will end up being used in ways you never intended or imagined. It’s time to upgrade privacy laws to keep our personal information safe. It’s time to stop paying for new technology with our privacy. It’s time to Demand our dotRights!