Is online cloud storage service right for you? How do you go about choosing a service provider?
These and other common questions about cloud storage service are answered in a Consumer Council report of a joint test with the ICRT (International Consumer Research and Testing).
The test assessed a total of 14 services for versatility, backup, convenience of use, sharing and collaboration. Among the key providers are such global brandnames as Apple, Google and Microsoft.
All services are free to register and use but the amount of online storage capacity could vary substantially from a mere 2 GB to a high 100 GB.
All cloud storage services in the test scored equally well for ease of use and installing/setup.
For some services, discrepancies may exist in capacity of free storage, encryption of data, versioning of files, collaboration capability and undeleting files. For example, those with 5 GB or less free storage offer are considered not quite suitable for the large-file sized photos and videos nowadays.
While no excessive personal information including the credit card number is needed to register for free service, the ICRT has studied the terms and conditions of these services and found consumers to be mostly in a less favourable position than the service providers.
In general, the providers can unilaterally alter the terms or even cancel the services without the prior consent of the users; they might also resort to the exemption clauses to avoid liability for claims against loss and damage of the users.
Users, on the other hand, are advised to examine the service terms, especially those having provided their billing details as some service providers might charge the users without their consent under the T&Cs.
In the interest of environment protection, consumers are advised not to abuse such free online storage service by excessive usage. Consumers should be mindful of the "environmental costs" they consume beyond their bill on Internet service.
An earlier study has revealed an unexpected high energy consumption using smartphones. This is due to heavy power consumption for the mobile network with data transmission from the remote data centres through servers to the mobile handsets. All facilities consume energy particularly for air-conditioning of the computer rooms.
Users should refrain from relying too much on cloud storage, by purging and streamlining the contents, and by backing up infrequently used files on external storage devices.
Further, if possible, by switching to services with nearby servers, the need of data re-connection and the burden to the network can be reduced with the benefit of a possibly faster data transfer for the user.
Some tips on information security:
- Never set any file or folder as public or share contents with strangers.
- Never set password to easy guesses; an unordered combination of letter, numeric and special characters is preferred. Passwords should not be stored in the computer files or under auto-save feature.
- Remember to log out each and every application after use. Always use reliable devices to connect to the cloud storage service.
- Do not jailbreak as the device will become more vulnerable. Never click links from unknown sources and always check and install security updates.
The Consumer Council reserves all its right (including copyright) in respect of CHOICE magazine and Onlin CHOICE (https://echoice.consumer.org.hk/).