Dropbox can legally sell all of your files [Update]

[win7holic]

Dropbox, a popular tool used for sharing files between computers and friends, recently updated their Terms of Service. They attempted to reduce some of the tedious legalese in order to make it easier for normal people to understand. It appears that they have succeeded in that mission and in the process have taken ownership of every file that uses their service. The section relating to “Your Stuff & Your Privacy” spells out the policy change as follows:

“We sometimes need your permission to do what you ask us to do with your stuff (for example, hosting, making public, or sharing your files). By submitting your stuff to the Services, you grant us (and those we work with to provide the Services) worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicenseable rights to use, copy, distribute, prepare derivative works (such as translations or format conversions) of, perform, or publicly display that stuff to the extent we think it necessary for the Service. You must ensure you have the rights you need to grant us that permission.”

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[Vextor]

WHAT THE HELL! I AM SWITCHING FROM DROPBOX RIGHT NOW!

 

[Linuxfever]

“We sometimes need your permission to do what you ask us to do with your stuff (for example, hosting, making public, or sharing your files). By submitting your stuff to the Services, you grant us (and those we work with to provide the Services) worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicenseable rights to use, copy, distribute, prepare derivative works (such as translations or format conversions) of, perform, or publicly display that stuff to the extent we think it necessary for the Service. You must ensure you have the rights you need to grant us that permission.”
:lolz:

This is not the first time that Dropbox has some problems with their terms or privacy polices.At one point their Privacy Policy stated that : “We may disclose to parties outside Dropbox files stored in your Dropbox and information about you that we collect when we have a good faith believe that disclose is reasonably necessary."

 

[Ink]

I got an email from Dropbox, but I have never used their service.

 

[HeffeD]

Google has caught flack in the past for similar terminology in regards to its cloud services.

 

[iPanik]

It's like Facebook, and no one seem to mind that.

 

[iPanik]

They changed their wording in the TOS to better show that this license only applies to their services:

We sometimes need your permission to do what you ask us to do with your stuff (for example, hosting, making public, or sharing your files). By submitting your stuff to the Services, you grant us (and those we work with to provide the Services) worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicenseable rights to use, copy, distribute, prepare derivative works (such as translations or format conversions) of, perform, or publicly display that stuff to the extent reasonably necessary for the Service. This license is solely to enable us to technically administer, display, and operate the Services. You must ensure you have the rights you need to grant us that permission.

Also if you check out Google's TOS they are very similar:

11.1 You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. This license is for the sole purpose of enabling Google to display, distribute and promote the Services and may be revoked for certain Services as defined in the Additional Terms of those Services.

This is a standard license for user-uploaded content, they need it to let you see/do stuff to your content while in their possession. Without a clause like this you wouldn't even be able to see your files on the website. Sharing a file with anyone would be impossible as well.

 

[acuariano]

forget about it...don't trust all those cloud spyware

 

[MrXidus]

Hmm, Doesn't look like I'll be using my 11GB Dropbox anytime soon.

 

[bogdan]

This is a standard license for user-uploaded content, they need it to let you see/do stuff to your content while in their possession. Without a clause like this you wouldn't even be able to see your files on the website. Sharing a file with anyone would be impossible as well.

Yes, but people pay special attention to Dropbox because of the large number of security issues that came up in recent months. For most people this means that Dropbox isn't treating their data with sufficient care and respect.

The article linked in the first post has been updated:

Update: After an initial public outcry, Dropbox has added the following line to the end of their license agreement:

This license is solely to enable us to technically administer, display, and operate the Services.