[rspoerri]

Never rely on any subscription based service for any data that is important. Never use data formats that lock you in. Especially not online services without (automatic) export options.

Keep a copy (cloud) and a backup (offline) for all you own data.

[Joel_Mckay]

As someone that just lost a OS build project last week, I remind myself the off-site physical copy and optical media do still have advantages.

1. kernel update on pre-release OS did something weird to the usb driver

2. heavily corrupted disk enters device hardware into lock-out

3. Pull ISO snapshot, and reinstall OS bare bone SSH install in Qemu session

4. verify OS working in VM

5. install new OS USB device in PC, boot once, and watch the kernel bug nuke the drive again

6. Boot from last weeks backup boot disk image, and watch the kernel bug nuke the drive again

7. install old kernel OS, and verify it was not a hardware failure

8. Remember to Backup, FOSS can byte hard when and not if things go sideways.

Best regards =3

[giik]

cloud is a subscription service too...sadly

hardcopy and offline copy(ies) is the only way, if one is able to maintain it in a disciplined way

[oofbey]

How many people here rely on Google Docs? I have for many things for years. How many of you regularly back up your Google Docs? I have taken a Google Takeout a few times over the years. But no. Why? Because I have never heard of Google “losing” docs or emails or anything like that except when a user deliberately deletes things. Same with AWS S3. It just doesn’t lose files. Ops mistakes and hackers can make it lose files but the tech is rock solid.

I think it’s very reasonable to assume cloud services don’t need to be backed up, because many of them are based on extremely reliable technologies.

Obviously mistakes like this can happen, and if they’d had a backup OP would be better off.

But I can’t help but think that there’s a lot of shadenfreude here from people who dislike AI at seeing somebody suffer for having a strong reliance on it.

[em-bee]

the threat here is not "cloud losing your data". the threat is "cloud denying access to your data". it's like when someone breaks up with you and you still have stuff at their house. good luck getting that back.

[GJim]

> Especially not online services without (automatic) export options

GDPR gives the right to data portability.

https://gdpr-info.eu/art-20-gdpr/

Any _legitimate_ organisation following the GDPR will allow export of your data; and you shouldn't be stupid enough to trust sensitive or valuable data with some dodgy organisation that doesn't follow the GDPR.

Obviously this doesn't alleviate the need for proper offline backups of your own valuable data!