Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) was rumored to be offering an online storage service known as the "GDrive" to allow user's to store all of their data on Google's infrastructure. The rumor was started a year ago last March when the service was mentioned in a PowerPoint presentation it had prepared for a meeting with industry analysts. An article appeared in the Wall Street Journal a few days ago that confirmed this service is more than just hearsay:
"...The service could let users access their files via the Internet from different computers and mobile devices when they sign on with a password, and share them online with friends. It could be released as early as a few months from now, one of the people said.
The Mountain View, Calif., company plans to provide some free storage, with additional storage allotments available for a fee, say the people familiar with the matter. Planned pricing isn't known."
Google has been surprisingly close-mouthed about the offering and a spokeswoman would only say "storage is an important component of making Web [applications] fit easily into consumers' and business users' lives."
So, considering the privacy issues here and with Google already under fire for retaining a history of your web searches and indexing web mail, it's no small wonder that some would squirm at Google having direct access to your data. What do you think about the service? Is it a great alternative to local storage? Would you trust Google with your personal or business data?
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