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You may be right, but that doesn't prevent them from using those same rights for other purposes (much like TSA searches being used to find drugs rather than terrorism).

If Google really means it, and wants it to be clear, they could put it right into the TOS: "Google may do X, when it does so in order to provide feature Y".




Doesn't this part of the TOS say exactly that?:

"The rights you grant in this license are for the limited purpose of operating, promoting, and improving our Services, and to develop new ones."


Let's say Mark Zuck. wants to use Google Drive, and upload all Facebook code on it. Using this TOS, it allows Google to go through the Facebook code, and use it to improve Google+.

As a programmer that uses Dropbox to backup all my code, I find this a little bit scary.


If you are concerned with storing your code on a service, perhaps you shouldn't store your code on that service?

The way I see it, they could go through your code and use your secret sauce, in secret. Now, with these TOS, let's say they are in the clear, legally. Now weigh the punishment Dropbox would receive for breaching your copyright, vs the punishment they would receive for using their users'/customers' data immorally, for their own gain.


There's only one word I have issues with in the entire TOS, and that's "promoting". Basically they can do the same annoying thing Facebook does when they use your face to recommend pages to other people. Google could potentially use your stuff to build ads for Drive.


I can't think of any possible workable scheme for implementing that, that makes any kind of sense in any universe real or imagined.

"Store your spreadsheets! Just like Joe Blow's 2012 sales forecast! (link to preview)"


They could use the best photos in a collage or something. Be creative :)


Perhaps Google will "publicly perform" your private photo album in Times Square for the purpose of "promoting" their Services.


"Develop new ones" is quite a broad clause !

eg. Rounding up non-gingers to be put in cages above pools of lava would be allowed


These are the same types of arguments that a few of the more vocal but ill-informed professional photographers out there use to spread FUD about photo sharing sites like Flickr, etc.

The bottom line is that you, as a user, have to grant such a license to Google, Flickr, etc in order for them to be able to provide the services that you want. Its a copyright issue, and I haven't seen any other good way around it in anyone else's TOS yet and I've read quite a few.




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