How a bug in Dropbox permanently deleted my 8000 photos
I think this bug should be considered completely separately from how unwise it is to use a cloud service as the sole storage of important files.<p>Regardless of the circumstances, losing user files against the wishes of the user is <i>the absolute worst thing a cloud backup provider can do</i>.<p>Even for files that are deleted intentionally and unambiguously by the user, I'm astonished that Dropbox actually deletes the files at the end of the 30-day restore window. I would expect them to keep the files for some multiple of the publicly-stated restore deadline where the multiple >= 2, if for no other reason than as a goodwill generator. There is no more evangelical advocate for your company than the customer you email to say "Yes, you intentionally deleted this file six weeks ago. The 30 day deletion deadline has passed, but I have managed to restore the most recent version of your dissertation. Thank you for using Dropbox."<p>For files that aren't intentionally deleted by the user but are "de-synced", it is disgraceful and appalling that there is no contingency system in place. Keeping user files when the user assumes or wishes them to be kept safe is the core competency of a service like Dropbox.<p>"The user should have kept multiple redundant copies" is <i>not an excuse</i> for a poorly managed online backup service. "Keep multiple backups of everything important" is good advice for a <i>user</i>, but "Keep user files safe when the user thinks they are safe" is the most essential advice imaginable for the CEO of an online backup service.