Don't trust Microsoft (SkyDrive)

Level1Techs INBOX.deb
1

I just watched your Windows 8.1 video and I can tell you aren't sure about Microsoft's Cloud services. I would urge everyone to stay far away from them!

I had my Windows Live ID perma-banned one day after I uploaded documents to SkyDrive. My account was at least 10 years old. The ban also means that I can no longer sign into Xbox Live or GFWL, so I lost access to paid games, but more importantly for me, my save data on GFWL, which is tied to the account I can no longer sign in to.

I did contact Microsoft Support and I had several of their support agents look into it, but they were only able to tell me that I had violated their code of conduct and there's no recourse for that.

So I had a good read of their code of conduct. In a long list of things you may not "upload, post, transmit, transfer, distribute", this was the first:

"nudity of any sort including full or partial human nudity or nudity in non-human forms such as cartoons, fantasy art or manga."

So that's why I got permanently banned. Amongst the files in my SkyDrive folder, I did indeed have a few photos with nudity. I certainly didn't share any of these photos, in fact my Skydrive folder and everything in it was set to private. But really, non-human nudity in fantasy art will get your Microsoft account PERMANENTLY BANNED.

So at the very least, Microsoft is scanning all of their users images looking for things.

I didn't get a single warning from Microsoft, I would have been happy if they just disabled my access to SkyDrive, there was no need to close my entire account.

My advice is simply not to use SkyDrive at all. But if you really want to for Windows 8, just don't upload anything you don't want Microsoft and potentially their friends to see.

2

They coded a porn detection software.....

 

Well shit... Sorry to hear that!

This is why dropbox is better, I'm pretty sure you can have nudity in dropbox...

GL with your account I guess. It really sucks, 1 offense and your screwed thats bullshit.

3

A company I worked for scanned all emails and attachments for child porn.  They said something about how people who distribute the stuff get access to company accounts and send the stuff without the infected host knowing.  Sounded like a bunch of crap to me but there is not much you can do to rally against a private companies rules.  Its easier to ban something than to deal with the fallout if something bad happens.

4

Thanks for the warning I cant believe they went that far. It clearly isn't stated well enough for something that you know many are likely to do and to have that severe consequence its really their fault in this case. I can see possibly in the future if more people adopt skydrive that many more will become banned and this will make skydrive extremely unpopular. Shame that the US is so prudish that they class porn worst than anything even violence I seriously cant understand what is wrong with it as long as its not child porn or whatever :/.

Update if you manage to solve it, but yeah that sucks :(

5

Code of Conduct serves as the warning. always a good idea to read it first before posting/uploading anything nowadays. for everything else, skydrive is just fine. one of the best tools a student can get their hands on for free. you can access your saved ms office files from anywhere. so its not as bad as everyone thinks it is

6

anyone remember the last paragraph to what Lavabits CEO posted on his website said? Oh yea! I got it!

http://i.imgur.com/6xNKrl2.png

the cloud is like letting your neighbor keep your personal wallet because you might lose it @ your home. so it's backed up at his house

8

Why use someone else's servers to store your files when you can use bittorrent sync?

9

If you need store your private and/or important files in the cloud, I suggest using Jottacloud. Jottacloud is a norwegian cloud service, so your files will be way better off stored in Norway, than in the US. I'm sure there are other cloud services based in other countries like Switzerland, Poland or Sweden.

On the other hand, do not store your important and/or private files on some stranger's server.

10

Wow thats really bad, shows the downside of having all your things tied into a system like that. Its a slippery slope, how long untill you see them disabling your windows serial keys for violation of TOS?

11

Ok so you didn't read the agreement and you uploaded porn to skydrive? Is that more of the lesson here or is that the reason to not trust skydrive? I'm kind of surprised you can't write an email or call microsoft to see if they are willing to lift the ban if you promise not to use their service for that again.

12

No I didn't read the agreement, and yes that's my bad. I was just using the service in a way that I felt was acceptable. At the end of the day, I backed up my entire Pictures folder and it had nude pictures in it, the folder was never shared and always set to private. I can't understand why storing those photos is a reason to ban an entire account, I didn't realise Microsoft was so scared of nudity. They could auto delete the images, disable Skydrive access & warn the user. But they didn't.

What about people using Windows Phones with SkyDrive cloud sync, if they take a nude selfie is Microsoft going to ban their accounts?

I did email and phone them, I spoke with many support agents and had my case escalated. All I ever got back was that they weren't able to find out why exactly I was banned, just that I broke the code of conduct, and that there is no recourse for code of conduct violations. They couldn't even move my Xbox Live/GFWL account over to another Live ID because once the Live ID gets disabled it cannot be moved.

This exact situation may not happen to you, but it just shows the way Microsoft deal with their customers. I bought a lot of games and DLC and I was a long-term customer yet they had no problem banning me without warning. 

13

The fact that nothing is recoverable or debatable, does make this post important to be heard, IMO.

It's completely lame. Sorry to hear it!

14

does this mean I cannot store pictures of my cat? Technically non-human nudity... I mean, she never wears clothes, ever 

15

I agree that you shouldn't trust your stuff to one place, especially microsoft.

But you are on THEIR servers, and it was in their TOS. They have every right to do what they want if you violate them.

16

Well, that last sentence is exactly thats need to be made very clear to every skydrive customer.

Don't get me wrong; It is their right, in the fullest extend.

But the repercussion of doing such radical actions against their users should be negative publicity.

So yes, please, let there be negative publicity for that reason.