[Lex Computer & Tech Group/LCTG] one drive -- Interesting
Adam Broun
abroun at gmail.com
Mon Nov 3 06:12:23 PST 2025
All this is why some of us like to self-host as much as possible, using the
cloud only when needed and then thoughtfully (e.g. encrypting files like
Drew does). Email is very hard to do yourself - probably not worth the
effort - but there are email providers (e.g. Proton) who are more privacy
oriented.
On Mon, Nov 3, 2025 at 4:06 AM Smita Desai via LCTG <lctg at lists.toku.us>
wrote:
> hopefully, that won’t happen in my lifetime. But then as Scott McNealy
> said a long time ago - “you have no privacy anyway. Get over it. “
>
> There is a convoluted ways to get your Outlook 365 emails down locally.
> You can create .pst files in Outlook and then move your emails from Gmail,
> Yahoo, Outlook, etc. to folders within the .pst file. These files stay
> within user > local settings folder and you are responsible for backing it
> up. Once moved, the email can be deleted from the cloud side - IMAP
> connection. These .pst files do not have any direct data connection.
> Microsoft had stopped allowing opening .pst files in Outlook. But a lot of
> users complained a lot and they changed. That’s why there is Classic option
> in desktop Outlook. Most of the software app does stay in the cloud of
> course as Bob said, which allows them to automatically enforce licensing.
>
> I also doubt if enterprises will ever agree to allow storing all emails in
> the cloud, given numerous times that these companies have been hacked.
>
> Thanks,
> Smita
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Nov 3, 2025, at 11:38 AM, Robert Primak via LCTG <lctg at lists.toku.us>
> wrote:
>
>
>
>
> On Sunday, November 2, 2025 at 01:11:58 PM EST, Drew King via LCTG <
> lctg at lists.toku.us> wrote:
>
> Drew,
>
> What you say would be great for your own, locally generated content.
>
> But Outlook.com doesn't have a local option, and Microsoft/Office 365 is
> entirely in the Cloud. You don't start with local documents, etc. So your
> data are never encrypted to begin with. Microsoft (or any other Cloud App
> provider) is free to do whatever they want when the app is in the Cloud and
> makes its first save/autosave to the same Cloud environment.
>
> You truly have no choice in such a situation. You can use a VPN to get to
> your Cloud computing environment, but once you're logged in, nothing is
> encrypted where it is created. "Local Save" means only that a copy is
> downloaded after the fact. The programs/services are all in the Cloud.
>
> Right now, there are very limited local options, but those are
> disappearing from Windows and Mac. The only alternative is to forego all
> Microsoft and Apple branded and Store applications, and use only freeware
> or locally installed, licensed software. So far those are still options,
> though companies like Intuit (Quick Books) and Adobe (Photoshop) have moved
> to entirely Cloud App subscription services.
>
> This is becoming the norm/default for more and more "Software/App/OS as a
> Service" products/subscriptions.
>
> Rumors have it that Windows 12 will be so Cloud-centric that by default
> the only thing you'll be doing which originates locally is logging into
> your device (with a Microsoft Cloud Account). Even for Pro users. The
> desktop will be Cloud-only. And Copilot AI will be everywhere, so you can't
> avoid all your inputs being seen and manipulated by Microsoft. Microsoft is
> far from alone in these trends.
>
> Microsoft as of Windows 11 25H2 has made it much more difficult to even
> set up a local Administrator Account.
>
> And don't get the idea that Apple is going any different direction.
>
> Another piece of fallout from these changes: Backing up your system and
> programs will no longer matter. You can't refuse an update to a program in
> the Cloud whose interface you used to like but now can't stand due to
> recent changes. And you can't restore the apps or your Cloud desktop to a
> previous condition or settings. You can download and store local copies of
> your data. Which is useless if the Cloud App goes away or changes its
> formats so your old files won't work in the app anymore. If you stop paying
> for the services, or if the services go away, your data may become useless.
> (Maybe we need to go back to paper printouts and screenshots/video
> captures?)
>
> Backup as we've known it, even for businesses, is going away.
>
> -- Bob Primak
>
>
> All,
>
> Regarding encryption, I suggest looking into https://cryptomator.org/
>
> I'm also a VPN advocate. My connections to the Internet are ALWAYS
> encrypted.
>
> My new router supports device level encryption using my Nordvpn.com
> account. Although I still run Nordvpn on my PC's, I can, and do let it
> encrypt each of my virtual machines.
>
> https://windscribe.com/ is a very good VPN with a FREE option. You get
> 10GB of transfer data per month!
>
> Black Friday sales are coming, so browse the options. Nordvpn also
> protects you from malware, and ads. All your downloads, and web content are
> scanned BEFORE they get to your browser! All referrals get 3 extra months
> free.
>
> [image: 7J9Ujl7PYkkv78GJ.png]
>
> [image: WH9aPmEubdpMS1Jr.png]
>
> They support Windows, Mac, and Linux for free. Mobile apps have a fee.
>
> I don't encrypt EVERYTHING, but anything I don't want cloud providers
> reading, absolutely!
>
> Cryptomator revolves around "Vaults". Vaults are folders with files in
> them. You can, on Windows, mount the vault as a drive letter, and
> everywhere you can mount as a folder.
>
> *We can do a potpourri on Cryptomator/encryption if there is interest?
> Rclone, which I also use, handles encryption.*
>
> All the cloud providers scan your files in detail. I was caught off guard
> by Pcloud a few years ago. Pcloud is my backup cloud drive for Google and
> Microsoft. The first time I copied my data from Google to pcloud I got
> locked out of my pcloud account shortly afterwards and after contacting
> technical support I learned that it was because of a violation of their
> terms of service! I had a single PDF file on my Google Drive that was a
> news article referencing the war in Iraq and it specifically mentioned
> ISIS. It was the content of this PDF file that Google was perfectly fine
> with that caused the violation. I asked pCloud to delete anything they
> felt was in violation of their policy in exchange for letting me back into
> my account, and they agreed. Afterward I learned that it was this single
> file that was the root of the problem. Pcloud, and all others, scan all of
> your documents in detail. Basically reading through them word by word and
> using technology to discover what the content is and what it references.
>
> Now that we have all of this AI technology, it is certain that they know
> about everything that you write and store in the cloud.
>
> *Don't put anything in the cloud unencrypted that you don't want your
> cloud provider to read in detail!*
>
> These are the cloud providers they support on mobile. Any cloud on your PC
> works.
>
> [image: idnfqga0F00c0huf.png]
>
>
>
> On 11/2/2025 11:09 AM, Robert Primak via LCTG wrote:
>
> Well, it's at least as private as Amazon's Alexa from their home assistant
> series of IoT devices. [image: Emoji]
>
> Google's drive and email services and Yahoo's email services do exactly
> the same thing. [image: Emoji]
>
> If you want it to be private, encrypt it before uploading it. [image:
> Emoji]
>
> Oh wait, Microsoft has a Cloud-first save default. Sorry, my bad. You
> can't encrypt these automatic OneDrive saves. [image: Emoji] (This
> applies especially to Office 365 and Outlook.com.)
>
> So how's Apple's privacy in iCloud looking these days? [image: Emoji]
>
> Since these services all include subscription upgrades, I see no argument
> that for a free service, you are the product. These services are free as in
> free beer. Once you really start using them, you have to pay for more
> storage or subscribe to a paid product or service.
>
> -- Bob Primak
>
>
> On Saturday, November 1, 2025 at 01:27:06 PM EDT, John Rudy via LCTG
> <lctg at lists.toku.us> <lctg at lists.toku.us> wrote:
>
>
> This is like “AI searches are private and not remembered”. Well, maybe
>
>
>
> If you do a search on bomb making expect to get an FBI visit
>
>
>
> John Rudy
>
>
>
> 781-861-0402
>
> 781-718-8334 cell
>
> 13 Hawthorne Lane
>
> Bedford MA
>
> jjrudy1 at comcast.net
>
>
>
> *From:* Rich Moffitt <rich at richmoffitt.org> <rich at richmoffitt.org>
> *Sent:* Saturday, November 1, 2025 11:15 AM
> *To:* john rudy <jjrudy1 at comcast.net> <jjrudy1 at comcast.net>
> *Cc:* Lex Computer Group <lctg at lists.toku.us> <lctg at lists.toku.us>
> *Subject:* Re: [Lex Computer & Tech Group/LCTG] one drive -- Interesting
>
>
>
> Hi, John. What you're seeing isn't sharing with other people (not even
> Microsoft employees, through a combination of encryption, access controls,
> and pinky swears). Microsoft would probably tell you that what you saw is
> still considered "private to you." Instead, it's software services built
> into the platform reading the files that you uploaded to them to deliver
> the memories feature.
>
> On Sat, Nov 1, 2025, 10:05 AM John Rudy via LCTG <lctg at lists.toku.us>
> wrote:
>
> I have just started getting messages from onedrive (OneDrive
> photos at onedrive.com) containing a small group of photos and the message
>
>
>
> I thought my onedrive account was private to me. Apparently not.
>
> When I click on “View all memories” I am asked to log in to Microsoft.
>
>
>
> I went to gemini.ai and asked about onedrive privacy. Here is a portion
> of what it responded:
>
>
>
> Managing your OneDrive photos' privacy involves controlling sharing
> permissions and using specific privacy features. Here are the main ways to
> do so:
>
> *1. Control Sharing Permissions*
>
> The most direct way to manage privacy is by controlling who has access to
> your files and folders.
>
> - *Sharing Individual Photos/Folders:*
>
>
> - *Right-click* on the photo or folder you want to manage.
> - Select *Share* or *Manage access* [1].
> - In the sharing dialogue, you can:
>
>
> - See who currently has access [1].
>
>
> - Stop sharing entirely.
>
>
> - Change permissions from "can edit" to "can view" (read-only).
>
>
> - Remove specific users [1].
>
>
> - Set an expiration date for the shared link [1].
>
>
> - Set a password for the link (with a Microsoft 365 subscription) [1].
>
>
>
> John Rudy
>
>
>
> 781-861-0402
>
> 781-718-8334 cell
>
> 13 Hawthorne Lane
> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/13+Hawthorne+Lane+Bedford+MA?entry=gmail&source=g>
>
> Bedford MA
> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/13+Hawthorne+Lane+Bedford+MA?entry=gmail&source=g>
>
> jjrudy1 at comcast.net
>
>
>
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> --
> Drew King
>
>
>
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