The Cloud Is Someone Else’s Computer (Where Your Data Goes)

When you save something to the cloud, it does not float in the sky. It goes to a real building full of computers that a company owns, and that company can usually read what is stored there.

Ben spent years designing and running data centers, including one for the F-18 fighter jet program, so he can show you what "the cloud" actually is: warehouses full of servers in real cities, keeping copies of your photos, messages, and files. You cannot realistically quit the cloud. What you can control is whether the companies holding your data can read it. That comes down to encryption, which means scrambling your files so only a private key can unlock them, and who holds that key. If you hold it, only you can read your files. If a company holds it, they can too.

Ben shares the services he pays for and uses himself for this: Proton for email, files, photos, and passwords, and Signal for private messages and calls. Start by moving one thing you care about to a service that hands you the key.

Proton: https://proton.me

Signal: https://signal.org

Chapters:

0:00 Where your data really goes

0:40 What the cloud actually is

1:12 Watch the data leave a computer

2:52 How to keep private things private

3:32 Why this matters for our kids

Watch the whole series, How the Internet Really Works: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc3jDQHQdQek

More in this series:

It Started With Bacon (How Free Apps Make Money): https://youtu.be/FQbVOHcQRME

The Cloud Is Someone Else's Computer: https://youtu.be/NsYAPKyJhXg

Should You Accept or Reject Cookies?: https://youtu.be/EEt33DXh--g

You're the Product, Not the Customer: https://youtu.be/UWBA-VcLOGE

Family IT Guy helps parents protect their kids from the two biggest digital dangers: addictive algorithms and anonymous communication, and the ways AI is making both worse. Ben Gillenwater spent 30 years in cybersecurity, and he teaches this as a parent in the same trenches you are.

iPhone Parental Controls Masterclass: https://www.familyitguy.com/iphone-masterclass

Website and free guides: https://www.familyitguy.com

Listen to the Family IT Guy Podcast:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/family-it-guy-podcast/id1831912044

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/72yZUVsOqdDk7en5FS9U8g

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